"In the past he seemed a bit spoiled, he became grumpy when he didn't get his way" - Experts have seen positive change in Remco Evenepoel's attitude of late

Remco Evenepoel was already widely regarded as one of the best all round riders in the world, but after claiming a podium on his Tour de France debut this summer, the Belgian has seemingly stepped up another level.

With Belgian cycling long awaiting a new winner of the Maillot Jaune, there is growing hope in the nation that Evenepoel is the man to not only break the Tadej Pogacar - Jonas Vingegaard stranglehold over the Tour de France's general classification fight, but also be the first Belgian since Lucien van Impe nearly 50 years ago.

"He has made serious steps mentally in the past two years. It took some time, because he made the step from the juniors to the pros," assesses Eurosport NL expert Thijs van Amerongen on the Kop over Kop podcast. "Remco is still very young. This year he is mentally much better put together, in my opinion. He rides around more happily, and is serious about his goals. In the past he seemed a bit spoiled, that he became grumpy when he didn't get his way. That is definitely different this year."

"That is certainly the case. He has now fully matured," adds Jeroen Vanbelleghem in agreement. "In the Tour de France, he rode around very serenely. It was not Remco's, but it helped him a lot. He is 24 years old and has ticked off everything on the time trial bike. That is fantastic."

Nevertheless, the Soudal - Quick-Step leader isn't the finished article just yet and the experts are aware that if Evenepoel is to challenge the likes of Pogacar and Vingegaard, there is still improvement needed, especially in the high mountains. "He could still make progress uphill," the podcast members continue. "Maybe he'll focus a little less on the time trial now. As I said, he's still young, but there's still room for improvement. It's tricky to drop something you're really good at."