"I think it's pretty straightforward" - Evenepoel not letting illness speculation skew his bid for historic European title
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel isn't letting speculation around illness take him off course in his bid to make history at Sunday's European Championships elite men's road race. Of all the major championship races to be won by the Belgian rider, the European road title is the only one left on his hit list.
Winning the World Championships and Olympics road race and time trials in recent seasons, he won the European time trial title last year and took silver behind Tadej Pogacar in the road race. As favourite this time around, he can make it eight out of eight wins with Belgium and round-off a polished section of his palmares.
But after a disappointing performance in montreal, speculation emerged that the 26-year-old was suffering from an illness and that the sub-par performance came as a result of that. Evenepoel and the Belgium camp have dismissed the claim as Evenepoel simply points to a bad day in Canada.
"No, honestly, I didn't feel anything strange. Obviously, I was a bit tired after the travel and all that stuff and the race, but no illness normally, so I think all good," he told CyclingProNet before the race.
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"Yeah, I think so. It was a very hard one, obviously. Not my best day, like I said before, but I think I did the maximum to be as recovered as possible and do the best to try and win today."
The European Championships course is arguably better for the Red Bull rider, with fewer kilometres and a tough but less attritional climb.
Evenepoel thinks that his team can manage the race and that the climb will do the talking. With rolling terrain and a descent to the finish afterwards, he wants to take the victory into his own hands.
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Evenepoel expects breakaway battle on flat
"Yeah, I mean, normally I should be able to ride on every course, but today it's really like there's only one part where the biggest difference can be made, so I think it's pretty straightforward how the race will develop. We have a good plan and we will try to go for it.
"Quite a flat start, so I suppose there will be some fight for the breakaway and then after that we will see how it goes on the laps.
He added: "I think the climb invites to go hard and we'll have to adapt to situations, but I think we are confident that we can do well today."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- I hope he rides a bitmij15-11-2026
- Greatest athlete this world has ever produced ! LOL ... you definitely are a comdian ! Cycling is so sprecialized and you think he's the greatest athlete ever ! Still laughing !frieders315-11-2026
- b.s. headline. Jonas wasn't told anything, it is just a pundit telling him what to do. the actual article is not even close to the insinuation of the headline.mij15-11-2026
- I think Roglic could have beaten Sepp. not Jonas. I was referring to Sepp.mij15-11-2026
- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
- He just doesn't have the desire anymore. I read an article earlier today that said he almost retired last year. His reasoning was he is away from home to much. Visma was able to keep him riding by allowing him to skip certain camps. So, while currently Visma is doing altitude work...Jonas is at home. Which means 2 things. 1- He maybe fresher than other riders. But, not the condition. 2-Is a somewhat slap in the face to others on the team that are supposed to help him win. Yet feel like he hasn't done what they have so perhaps they don't provide as good of protection or they ride more for theme (which the team may not notice).md197514-11-2026
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
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