"He just didn't understand it" - Opponents left flabbergasted by Remco Evenepoel's incredible engine
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel was unable to secure the Belgian road title at the recent National Championships in Binche. Still, the winner Tim Wellens had only words of praise, acknowledging his compatriot's qualities. Just like the men who raced against the Olympic champion, also former National team coach Sven Vanthourenhout saw the great level of Evenepoel.
In the Vals Plat podcast, he points out that it was mostly due to others' tactics that Evenepoel didn't win. Jasper Philipsen (3rd) spent most of the race on the wheel of Soudal - Quick-Step star: "That makes sense. It is not strange that Philipsen was given that assignment. I would have said the same, because he only had to keep an eye on one person."
According to Vanthourenhout, Evenepoel often forgets that most mortals can't keep up with his devillish pace. "That was also the case last year at the World Championships in Zurich. He rode five to six kilometers at the front and came to about 35 seconds behind Pogacar with five or six men in his wheel. Then he asks to take over, but that just doesn't work. They are completely at the limit in the wheel."
Olympic Games
Vanthourenhout also recalls an anecdote from last summer's Olympic Games. "After the road race we came back to the Olympic village and I ran into Stefan Küng. He had been in that breakaway, where he was then outridden by Remco. He told me that he just didn't understand it."
"He said: 'I'm just on his wheel, he doesn't attack, but you just feel that you have to pass. It's going to be one meter, two meters, five meters, ten meters.' He was dropped on a flat road, and that's also what happened to Wout van Aert in the Brabantse Pijl. He just couldn't sprint anymore."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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