"I really believe it was possible to bring Tadej Pogacar back" – Remco Evenepoel frustrated by lack of help in chase at European Championship 2025
Cycling
Another major one-day race. Another audacious solo move from Tadej Pogacar in the men's elite road race at the 2025 European Championships. And for Remco Evenepoel, another silver medal.
Just one week after being forced to settle for second behind the Slovenian at the World Championships in Kigali, Evenepoel again had to watch Pogacar raise his arms solo — this time at the European Championships in France — and once again, the Belgian figurehead was left wondering what more he could have done.
This time though, it wasn't mechanical issues that had Evenepoel frustrated, it was the lack of a cohesive chase following Pogacar's attack. “I really believe it was possible to bring Tadej back,” Evenepoel said after the finish in conversation with Cycling Pro Net. “If everyone in the group had worked properly, I think we could’ve made it. But some riders had orders not to ride — and that’s race tactics. We have to accept that.”
A repeat script, a familiar result
The race was shaping up perfectly for Belgium. The team had numbers. Evenepoel was in stellar form. And as many expected, Pogacar was isolated with more than 90km to go. But the script began to shift when the Slovenian launched a devastating attack with 75km remaining — a move only Evenepoel looked capable of answering.
Briefly, the Belgian clawed his way back to within 20 seconds, leading a small but powerful chase group featuring Juan Ayuso, Paul Seixas, and Christian Scaroni. But when the others refused to contribute to the pace, Evenepoel was left with little choice but to shoulder the workload alone — a tactical imbalance that would ultimately prove costly.
“It was pretty frustrating,” he admitted. “With four guys in the tailwind and headwind sections, we really could’ve brought him back. But when I saw the lack of help, I knew it was going to be difficult. Maybe I should’ve gone earlier, tried to get rid of them, but after the race it’s always easier to talk.”
Evenepoel pushed on solo in the final 30km, distancing his fellow chasers and securing silver once again. But for a rider who measures himself by victories — and who has the European Championships road race as one of the few missing major titles from his palmares — second place felt hollow.
The final podium of the 2025 European Championships
“Beaten by power”
Evenepoel was candid in his praise for Pogacar, acknowledging that, cooperation or not, his rival was once again riding on another level. “I was on a good day, but he was on a super good day,” he said. “I just tried my maximum to beat him, but he shows again why he’s the best in the world. I was beaten by power — simply by someone stronger.”
Despite the result, Evenepoel was quick to defend his Belgian teammates, who were among the most aggressive and organised squads throughout the race. “We did what we had in mind,” he said. “Everybody was on a good day and did their job. We were never in defence mode, even when Tadej attacked. We go home with another silver medal in the road race — not what we came for, of course, but we have to accept it and keep looking forward.”
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 17visitors 12
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
Loading
15 Comments