“It’s not surprising when he surprises you” – Remco Evenepoel's coach on Belgian's time trial demolition

Koen Pelgrim, coach at Soudal – Quick-Step, offered one of the clearest insights into how Remco Evenepoel delivered such a dominant ride at the World Championship time trial in Kigali. For Pelgrim, the victory was not simply about the Belgian’s raw talent but about meticulous preparation, the ability to adapt to extreme conditions, and the discipline to trust instincts over numbers. In his view, Evenepoel’s third time trial rainbow jersey was particularly impressive given the scale of the time gap to Tadej Pogacar. The coach spoke at length to In de Leiderstrui, breaking down where the difference was made and what it means heading into the road race and the remainder of the season.

“You should never underestimate him, and you know he's capable of crazy things. Let me put it this way: it's not surprising when he surprises you." Pelgrim framed the performance as a continuation of a pattern where Evenepoel defies expectations, even when people already expect brilliance. The gap to Pogacar, widely regarded as the best rider in the world, was especially telling. "That difference was bigger than we expected, on this course. That's partly because Pogacar wasn't quite as good. After the first intermediate point, we saw that Remco had a very good chance of winning, but as both Olympic and world champion, that was naturally the case beforehand if you do everything right."

For Pelgrim, the turning point came early. "If the difference is small and you start quickly, there's a real chance you'll lose time. But 45 seconds, the difference at intermediate point 1, does mean the difference is significant. At the bottom of the first climb, we measured the time ourselves, and the difference there was 15 seconds, so that means he gained another 30 seconds on that climb. That does mean you're very good.”

The approach to training was central to how the Belgian delivered such power in Kigali. Pelgrim explained why the team avoided focusing on data alone. "We didn't really want to pinpoint the wattages, because it's such a varied course. Plus, you have the altitude and heat, so you already knew you wouldn't be able to reach the wattages you would otherwise. How big that difference is exactly? We had an idea, but you can never be 100% sure. If you let someone ride by feel, you're closer to the truth than with the numbers."

Pelgrim also detailed how the preparation was tailored to the conditions Rwanda presented. "'Remco was at altitude in Livigno, where he was in the heat and at altitude. After that, he did the Tour of Britain, where it wasn't as hot and high. It was a nice little incentive. Afterward, Remco went back to Calpe, where he has his own altitude training room and was able to train in the heat. Illan is naturally very good at altitude, as we always see during altitude training camps: he suffers the least there, out of everyone. That's why he didn't have to be at altitude alone. The heat is a bit harder on him, so he focused more on that. He was in Gran Canaria.”

The coach did not avoid the bigger picture either. With Evenepoel leaving for Red Bull – Bora – hansgrohe in 2026, Pelgrim admitted the result carried extra significance. "You want to end things together on the best possible note. This world title is hopefully the first of a long list of titles to come, all the way to Lombardy. But even if nothing else comes along, this would be fantastic."

Attention now turns to the road race, where Pogacar will have a chance to respond. Pelgrim pointed out the contrasts between the two events. "It's going to be a completely different race. Pogacar might have suffered a slight dent in his confidence, but it's definitely a different kind of effort. The altitude will definitely play a role in that. I don't know if Pogacar was at altitude, but with his trip to Canada, he had some exhausting travel behind him. So it could easily be completely different in a week, that he'll have recovered a bit more."

Throughout his comments, Pelgrim made clear that Evenepoel’s capacity to surprise has become his defining trait. "You should never underestimate him, and you know he's capable of crazy things. Let me put it this way: it's not surprising when he surprises you."