"Honestly, I thought I was already beaten before the sprint" - Remco Evenepoel denies Wout van Aert at Brabantse Pijl in emotional return to racing

Remco Evenepoel has had a well documented, difficult start to 2025. After crashing nastily in training in early December, the Soudal - Quick-Step leader has been forced to wait for his season opener. But after finally taking to the startline at Brabantse Pijl this Friday afternoon, the wait proved more than worth it as Evenepoel outsprinted Wout van Aert to take an emotional victory on his return to racing.

Having initially attacked alongside his fellow Belgian and Joseph Blackmore at around 40km to go, it was down to just Evenepoel and Van Aert in a two-up sprint for the win in the finale. With Evenepoel forced to hold the front, Van Aert seemingly had the perfect position to come around but was simply unable, thanks mostly to the sheer power of the sprint by the Olympic champion.

“Incredible,” reflected Evenepoel in his immediate post-race interview afterwards. “I knew I was feeling pretty good the past few days. I’ve also had some really tough ones, but my confidence kept growing. To start the season with a win - it’s just unbelievable. Deep down, I had considered the possibility, but to actually open up the race and shape it in such a strong field... I’ve trained a lot here, really put in the work to perform well.”

The truth is though, the Evenepoel was very much the underdog in the finale, not only because of his lengthy injury layoff, but also because of Van Aert's renown for being a more than capable sprinter. “And Wout is clearly getting stronger too," Evenepoel added warmly. "This wasn’t exactly a course that suits me 100%, so that makes the result feel even better. Beating Wout in a sprint, after riding at the front for the last two kilometres? Honestly, I thought I was already beaten before the sprint even started."

"But you always have to sprint it out," he concludes with a smile. "It’s a tough race, and over the years I’ve become more explosive - that’s why I had faith in my sprint.”