"It's not nice, but it's part of this sport" - Remco Evenepoel's tactics backfire at national championships
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel was racing and quite emotionally this Sunday at the national championships, showing very strong legs but lacking the difficulties in the course to make the difference. Whilst eventually he did manage to do so in a very tactical race, it happened after the leading group let Tim Wellens get away and the Olympic Champion only came out of the race with a silver medal.
"If you race with your legs like that all day, then you are the big favorite and you have to catch up with the rest", DS Wilfried Peeters told Sporza. "Remco was very strong and wanted to get away on his own as soon as possible. Everyone knew that. He took the rest by the throat, but Wellens was also very good and launched his attack at the right moment."
The team had Tim Merlier to play for a sprint, but with Evenepoel in good form and plenty teams looking to make for an aggressive race, the opportunity was created for Evenepoel to try and become national champion once again. He was part of a strong group that had gone up the road, but from these riders, everyone was eyeing his wheel. And Evenepoel made it no secret that he was on a good day.
"He was very strong and killed his [group] colleagues. Then the rest are not inclined to ride to the finish with you. That's part of it when you're the big favorite. It's not nice, but it's part of this sport. At the front, teammate Ilan Van Wilder fell away just too early and Remco tried his tried and tested recipe, attacking until no one else can. Almost no one could keep up, but Wellens could. And the winner underestimates himself when he says he wasn't the strongest."
Ulimtately Evenepoel managed to escape the clutches of the group with Jasper Philipsen, but the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider was also on his best legs and managed to hold off the chasing duo to take a big win right before the Tour de France.
Read also
Sven Nys also commented on the two protagonists of the day: "Wellens rode a solo of 42 kilometers. Then you are also the best man in the race. Remco had already given a lot, but Tim always had to go with those attacks. It was a bit like the chronicle of an announced situation. The entire leading group then starts to think differently than he does and wants to anticipate."
"Sooner or later one of them will be gone and Remco has to close the gap. He rode away, but Philipsen was also strong. He was probably hanging between his frame at first. Remco then tried to chase at 90 percent and Wellens also benefited from that. But he also forced it himself. Wellens is the deserved champion."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 3visitors 3
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment