José De Cauwer shares a story behind Remco Evenepoel's iconic Eiffel Tower Olympic photo: "He asked three days in advance if it would be a nice photo"

No rider got even close to Tadej Pogacar's palmares this year. But if anybody, then either Mathieu van der Poel (Flanders + Roubaix) or Remco Evenepoel. The latter won time trials at both Olympic Games and World Championships, but which result stood out the most? His Olympic gold on road. The race from Paris wrote many stories and José De Cauwer looks back at one of the playful ones.

In a career filled with races, he has seen, heard or experienced everything. But what José De Cauwer experienced in Paris was unique, he confides at Spora: "They were very important for Belgium. And of course that image of Remco at the Eiffel Tower... I'll tell you something I've never actually told you before," he continues with a wink.

De Cauwer strolls through Paris during the route reconnaissance a few days before the road race. "I see Sven Vanthourenhout riding past Remco Evenepoel on his moped. Suddenly Remco shouts: 'Sven, Sven!' The national coach looks around and Remco is standing at the finish line with his arms wide open. Then he asks: 'Is the Eiffel Tower there, like this?' Sven indicates that it is."

"Afterwards, Sven comes to me and says: 'Can you imagine that? That he asks three days in advance if it would be a nice photo?' Then you can say that Evenepoel was really thinking about it," De Cauwer concludes.

Three days later, Evenepoel provided a rehearsed piece of sporting history. And what about the photo? No photographs were allowed at the ideal angle...