"It’s as if we’d forgotten just how good Remco Evenepoel can be" - Jose De Cauwer blown away by Quick-Step leader's immediate return to top form

It hasn't taken Remco Evenepoel long to make an impact upon his return to the pro peloton in 2025. After missing four months of action following a nasty crash whilst training in early December, the Soudal - Quick-Step leader is seemingly already back somewhere close to his very best.

After marking his return to racing with an immediate win last Friday at Brabantse Pijl, the double Olympic champion put in another impressive performance on Easter Sunday at the Amstel Gold Race. Evenepoel might not have won, but with a massive effort, the Belgian did something many thought was impossible and dragged back the all-conquering Tadej Pogacar after the world champion had seemingly flown the nest with a long-range attack, albeit it was Mattias Skjelmose that ultimately benefited.

"In recent weeks, it’s as if we’d forgotten just how good Remco Evenepoel can be," reflects Belgian cycling expert Jose De Cauwer in his post-race analysis for Sporza. "This spring, the conversation has revolved around the Big Three - Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel, and Wout van Aert - plus Mads Pedersen. But then, out of nowhere, Evenepoel returns to racing - and bam, he’s right there. Without even having race rhythm in this kind of classic. That tells you he hasn’t just been working hard the past few months - he’s been working incredibly hard."

Whilst Evenepoel has had plenty of praise for his chasing down of Pogacar, for De Cauwer it's important that an honourable mention is given to the Belgian's Soudal - Quick-Step teammate, Ilan Van Wilder. "If he hadn’t done what he did yesterday, the race would’ve been over for Evenepoel. We saw Van Wilder the super-domestique, riding selflessly with no ambition for a result of his own," he notes. "He pulled the entire section leading up to the Keutenberg - phenomenal work. He kept the tempo high in the peloton while the other teams were clearly not willing to take control."

And with Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege coming up, De Cauwer is hopeful of more incredibly exciting battles in the coming races. "Maybe Pogacar didn’t reach the same level at Amstel as he did at Flanders because Roubaix took more out of him than expected. Plus, he scaled back his training a bit afterwards. It’s possible he’ll feel better for La Flèche Wallonne. But you can count on Remco - he’s only going to get better," he concludes. "These days, we should dream big."