"It is our big dream" - Remco Evenepoel hopes to have his academy's riders participate at home 2030 Brussels World Championships

Remco Evenepoel is one of the figures in cycling that has invested in the development of young cyclists. With the R.EV Brussels Cycling Academy he looks to give opportunities to young riders from his home city, and hopes that a few can make it to the 2030 World Championships which could take place in Brussels.

"It's an academy, but not really. It is intended for children from Brussels who do not have the opportunity to cycle, because the sport is quite expensive," Evenepoel said in an interview with VeloVeloVelo. "You have to buy bicycles, spare bicycles, spare wheels. We want to help these children, because they are having a harder time. In Brussels it is also impossible to cycle safely: there is a lot of traffic and you hardly see any cycle paths. Specialized helped us a lot with this, they donated forty bicycles."

Brussels having hosted the Grand Depart of the 2019 Tour de France, it already has a good track record in preparation to host a big event. Evenepoel hopes to see the city become an even bigger hub for professional athletes. "It's not so much about getting them to become cyclists, because they also go running, mountain biking and more. We want to develop them as athletes. I played football for a long time, but also did various sports: running, core stability, exercises aimed at endurance and explosiveness," he says.

And ultimately, outside of his own pro career, Evenepoel has a big goal for his academy. "There are rumors that the Cycling World Championships will be in Brussels in 2030, so it is our big dream to be able to have one boy and one girl participate there from the R.EV Brussels Cycling Academy."