So good was Evenepoel in his first race of 2025, that he even comfortably outsprinted compatriot
Wout van Aert - someone who has won multiple bunch sprints in Grand Tours - in a two-up fight for the line in Overijse. “Look at his sprint finishes when there’s a win on the line – he’s nearly always there," says Soudal - Quick-Step's Kevin Hulsmans, speaking to the VRT, explaining the tactics. "Sometimes you get beaten, but he’s by no means one of the slowest riders. It was a tough, attritional race too, and freshness plays a part. And Remco remains a killer.”
And so with the
Amstel Gold Race and
Liege-Bastogne-Liege coming up quickly, expectations for Evenepoel have suddenly skyrocketed. Both Pelgrim and Hulsmans however, are keen to keep their feet firmly on the ground.
“Everyone will now be thinking he’s going to win everything, but we need to give him time to continue developing. We also need to allow for the possibility of a bad day,” explains Hulsmans, with Pelgrim adding: “A 250-kilometre race is something else entirely. But I don’t think the distance will be the issue. He did struggle a bit during the first accelerations, but there wasn’t much fatigue in his legs.”