"He still had to come back from Africa..." – Belgian coach reveals Remco Evenepoel's journey from Kigali road race heartbreak to European time trial domination

Remco Evenepoel’s emphatic victory at the 2025 European Championships time trial looked effortless on the road, but Belgian national coach Serge Pauwels has revealed just how demanding the build-up was for the newly crowned European champion.

Evenepoel, who added continental gold to his World, Belgian and Olympic time trial titles on Wednesday afternoon, had only just returned from racing an absolutely brutal edition of the World Championships road race in Kigali, Rwanda. Despite the fatigue of a six-hour battle on African roads and the logistics of long-haul travel, the 25-year-old brushed aside the obstacles to dominate ahead of Filippo Ganna and claim another major title against the clock.

“He still had to come back from Africa,” Pauwels explained in conversation with Cycling Pro Net after the race. “He flew Monday night, arrived Tuesday morning in Marseille, and was picked up by the team. Then he spent the whole day in the hotel. So actually, he had a really normal pre-race day, which was important. For a time trialist, it’s super important that he can stay in his bubble in the last 24 hours before a race.”

Evenepoel’s calendar has been relentless, and Pauwels admitted that few would deliberately schedule a six-hour road race followed by a transcontinental flight before a European title defence. Yet, in a twist, the coach suggested that the Rwandan exertions may even have helped him.

“You wouldn’t do it on purpose. Normally you wouldn’t choose to do a six-hour race on Sunday on the road bike, then travel across continents,” he said. “But in a way, I think he benefited from going really deep that day. It kept the momentum. He looked very, very smooth today. I wouldn’t say he was better than at the Worlds, but he was certainly not worse.”

That “smoothness” translated into a crushing performance. Evenepoel blew through the first checkpoint 14 seconds ahead of Ganna and only extended his advantage, completing the 24.4km course in 28:26, with Ganna 43 seconds down. The win means the Belgian now holds the rare quadruple of World, Olympic, national and European time trial titles simultaneously.

Looking ahead, Pauwels underlined the challenge of keeping Evenepoel’s form rolling into the European road race on Sunday, where another stacked field awaits. “He knew he had four goals across these two weeks,” the Belgian coach explained. “Now he’s already won two of them and taken a silver medal. That’s impressive. Let’s see what he can do Sunday, but for sure it’s going to be super hard, with very strong contenders.”

For now, though, the story is one of resilience as much as raw talent. From the African heat to the French winds, Evenepoel’s ability to recover and deliver is what sets him apart. As Pauwels put it, the Belgian star managed to get “into the right flow” and make the most of an unlikely preparation.