This Sunday will see the beginning of the World Championships, and Remco Evenepoel has been heavily marked as a main favourite after his recent successes. He's given a press conference this Friday regarding his expectations for the race, in which he can take his first rainbow stripes as an Elite rider.
"My season has already been successful, but I would like to win. I am here with a lot of ambition. I have recovered enough. I did it very calmly for 4 days and that did me good," he told reporters. "I knew in advance that it should be this way. I was mentally ready for that. Racing a World Cup for your own country, you don't just let that go. It is also always said that after a Grand Tour you find magical legs and drive a [cassette] tooth bigger.
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His participation in the Worlds was already planned for a while, and his recent impressive win in the Vuelta a Espana time-trial not only showed that his weight loss didn't prevent him from performing at the highest level, but also that everything was in place for an attempt on the win at the Worlds. He's celebrated his win in Madrid this Sunday, but in complete opposite fashion to Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard, Evenepoel has quickly recovered a few days and has flown into Australia in search of more success.
"I hope so. We already planned 3 months ago how we would fill in this week. This is the best possible recovery week. It was a good decision to come here as soon as possible after the Vuelta, both for my body and for the "championship". Although I will also be happy when I can let go of everything after the World Championship," he said.
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He'll have to face the likes of Filippo Ganna, Stefan Küng and Stefan Bissegger who recently had a close battle at the European Championships. The circuit however, is one that pleases the youngster: "It is a difficult course, with about 400 vertical meters in the beginning and a final straight line of six kilometers. There I will be able to use my aero."
"I have worked hard on my time trial. My worst performance this year is 2nd, that would be very good on Sunday. Although I would of course prefer to win. The form of the day, the legs and the heavy effort will also play their part there," he points out.
After winning the Vuelta however, Evenepoel claims that "there is no pressure for me anymore. My season has already been more than successful. But I had a good feeling in training today. I have confidence in it. I am here with a lot of ambition and I really want to win," he concluded.
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.
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- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
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First days in Australia for the World Championships🇦🇺🇧🇪 Getting ready for the TT on Sunday👊🏼🚀 #Wollongong2022
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