"It was an inspiration of the moment" - Remco Evenepoel surprises even himself with race-winning attack 55km out in first race of the season

Remco Evenepoel is back and back with a bang. The Belgian romped to a stunning solo victory in his first race of the year at the Figueira Champions Classic.

Showing no signs of rust after the winter break, Evenepoel attacked clear with 55km to go. "It was an inspiration of the moment itself because I saw that there were fewer and fewer teammates around me,” said the Belgian champion post-race. “It was immediately a strong attack. The feeling was good, that is the most important thing to start the season.”

As soon as Evenepoel made his move it was race over. "When I turned up to that piece of false flat I saw that I had a nice gap, so that's a good sign. It was a good piece to attack too. I think everyone thought I was going to attack false flat on that part, but… Yes, it was an inspiration of the moment," he laughs. "It was a very difficult part. I had looked back a few seconds before and saw some gaps opening up in the peloton. It was the right time to start.”

In the end, Evenepoel took the win by 1:48 from a group of chasers led home by his compatriot, Vito Braes. “It's nice to win right away anyway,” he concludes. “Certainly in the way, with a good attack and being able to maintain that. That's good for the sequel. Now try to maintain the form and recover for a few days, because an important race is coming up."