CyclingUpToDate Podcast - Remco Evenepoel joins "once-in-a-century" rider alongside Tadej Pogacar
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel has won the European Championships road race this Sunday afternoon in Slovenia and with it, achieved something that no rider has ever done before: Win every Olympic, World, European and national title available in road cycling. On the CyclingUpToDate Podcast, Rúben Silva and Gavin Quinn have discussed the current generation of history-making figures in the peloton.
The Giro dell'Emilia, Sparkassen Münsterland Giro and European Championships have marked the weekend's racing, with plenty action throughout several European countries. In the women's elite race, newly-crowned World Champion Demi Vollering soared to victory, taking a one-two for the Netherlands together with Puck Pieterse.
"It was an interesting race. I think the Dutch played it perfectly, controlling the race, but also making it hard enough where when Demi made her move, she could get away," Quinn argued. "Like you said, they didn't see her again".
Vollering was as dominant as she's shown in recent months, taking a solo win - her first in her new jersey. Her dominance has created an interesting comparison: "She's kind of morphed into a Tadej Pogacar role within the sport too. She's the most complete rider. We see Kasia Niewiadoma and Eliza Longo Borghini are close to having her level on climbs, but when you have rolling terrain or descent and flat, she just has it all. She can time trial, she can climb, and she can ride GC perfectly really".
For Silva, the second half of the season has shown a separate Vollering that appears untouchable uphill: "The second half of the season, completely different Vollering, and in races where there are climbs, exactly like Pogacar, no one can touch her at this point, I think it's hard to argue against it".
Remco Evenepoel racing on emotion
In the men's elite road race, Remco Evenepoel and Giulio Ciccone have had a two-up battle for the title. Evenepoel crashed after his first attack, and was followed the Italian on the second one. In the end, a photo-finish sprint was required to separate the two at the finish line.
"In his post-race interview, he said some interesting things," Quinn pointed out. "He said that it (his World Championships defeat, ed.) affected him more than he let on. And that it was really kind of, you know, burning a fire inside, which we saw in his aggressive racing".
The Belgian's aggressive mindset is what ultimately captured him a win at the European's road race, the last one missing in his palmarès. "Remco's obviously calculated, cool and intelligent rider, but still rides on emotion [...] Having that crash almost angered him enough to attack on the following descent, and make it basically the race-winning move, you know, and it removed the chance of an outsider attacking Belgium".
"It's what he does best," Silva accessed. "And it allows him more to race on emotion, because he is the kind of rider that is favoured by attacking just anywhere". The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe's ability to ride on the flat roads has made him a notable threat on every terrain. Evenepoel's attack timing appeared to be no coincidence.
"It looks to me like Belgium and Evenepoel are fixated that this is the moment where you attack, not before, not after. The fact that Evenepoel attacked once again, just minutes after crashing and catching Ciccone, is a very clear signal that they talked before the race, and they were like: 'no, you have to make this move right in the penultimate lap'."
According to Silva, it may not change much towards Il Lombardia, because he remains unable to make the serious differences uphill. "It's not as easy for him to reach that absolute leanness, whereas other riders - we can give Pogacar as an example - can do that much more easily. So Evenepoel has to take advantage of the non-climbing terrain to make the difference [...] So I think Evenpoel played his cards right as well, and I think that it is a deserved win".
Remco Evenepoel won the 2026 European Championships
Evenepoel's victory makes history
Evenepoel has now won every Olympic, World, European and national title, the first to ever do it. "Remco Evenepoel, it's mixed feelings, but this win is very important for him... Because we haven't pointed out, but this was the only title that he lacked. He's won every Olympic, World, and National, and European title, aside from this".
"Adding this title to his collection is not just adding this title, it's completing a whole separate puzzle that he's been building". Aside from that, with his victory at the recent GP de Québec made him the first professional rider to ever win in the six continents.
"Whilst we talk of Tadej Pogacar - rightly so - asa not even a once-in-a-generation writer, it's once-in-a-century almost, you could say... Evenepoel is almost there".
"I wouldn't say on his heels, because their records on the Grand Tours and the monuments are quite different, but when it comes to the one-day races and the races at national teams, especially, Evenepoel is just insanely good, and the first rider in history to do this, male or female".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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