Remco Evenepoel hits back HARD after Belgian journalist spreads rumours of his family life: "Maybe you should worry more about your own family"
CyclingTuesday, 29 April 2025 at 11:18
In the early years of his career, Remco Evenepoel was known for quite hard public statements that often came from the fact that he was so heavily exposed to the media and it's pressure since a young age. Ever since that has died down, but after his and his family's life was talked about by a Belgian journalist, Evenepoel has directly addressed and criticized what has been recently spread.
Ruben van Gucht, Belgian journalist who is often present at races and commentary shows, has recently hinted that Evenepoel may be financially taking the responsibility not only just over his wife Oumi Rayanne, but her parents of well, of Moroccan origin. Recently, Evenepoel's comments on turning to religion, in particular Islam, have led to a few - naturally uncalled for - negative comments from some fans.
"The fact is that in the last years of his career he has really involved his wife's family in his victories and his performances. I hear that he is also trying to take care of that. Is that necessary? Is that not necessary? That is what he has to know for himself," van Gucht had said. "I don't think many of his colleagues do it that way."
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The Olympic Champion did not take these words kindly and has taken to Instagram to write a long statement dismissing this rumour: “I feel obliged to respond to the absurd and disrespectful statements that Ruben VG made about my private life. He claimed that I would take care of my wife's family. Let me be very clear: this is complete nonsense.”
“My wife comes from a wealthy family. With parents who have built a wonderful life for their children through hard work and entrepreneurship. Oumi was my neighbour. Her parents live just 200 metres from mine in Schepdaal," he explains. "Everyone who lives there knows that they live in a beautiful villa. A huge house.”
The two have gotten married in 2022, and are often seen together both in races and on social medial. “We have known each other since childhood. Long before there was any talk of money, fame or anything. Her parents do not owe their prosperity to anyone. Certainly not to me.”
But Evenepoel did not hold back, and directly launched questions back at Van Gucht after his inflammatory statements. “And then you, Ruben, come and tell me that I would take care of them? Let me explain something to you: if anyone has helped, it is more likely to be our (in-laws) who have always done everything to support us and make us stronger. I don't know where you get your stories from, Ruben. Or is it difficult for you to believe that a Moroccan family has simply worked hard and is well-off? That says more about your limited worldview than about reality.”
But the Belgian really did not hold back, and went straight into a different topic that has previously been discussed in the Belgian media bubble, which is the fact that van Gucht had previously been caught cheating on his wife during a live TV broadcast from his hotel room whilst reporting on a sports event,and is since said to be in an open relationship. Evenepoel certainly did not enjoy to receive comments from someone with that particular background.
“The real truth is simple: love, respect and hard work have brought us where we are now. Not prejudices. Not gossip. And certainly not people who prefer to call themselves journalists, but prefer to spread nonsense. Maybe you should worry more about your own family, Ruben… Because we hear things too," he concluded.
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What is the implication here: "but her parents of well, of Moroccan origin"
It’s obvious, no? This is the new way to hide racist intentions. 100 years ago it would have been different nationalities that were mentioned but in THOSE days it was out of prudishness that media didn’t want to be seen to say something nasty, today it is a cynically calculated strategy not to be held responsible for fanning flames. Can you imagine a journalist consciously writing about some guy helping in-laws and then specifying that these in-laws are of e.g. Belgian, Dutch, Danish, Swiss, Austrian, Swedish descent? No they wouldn’t even think it would be of interest or add anything, it would look out of place and have readers asking, why is he specifying. Jewish? They wouldn’t dare. It is a subtly calculated decision that you’ve come to expect from all those people who start their “stories” with “I’ve heard” “rumour has it” “I’m not a X/Y/Z but …”
Everything is wrong. The gossip for sure... but also the overreaction. Remco ends up doing the same: commenting the privacy of the "journalist". This kind of senseless dispute can only degenerate.
He did not comment it, he questioned whether the journalist was throwing stones in glass houses regarding making comments on hearsay. For me his answer was about as close to perfect for discrediting his accuser as can be.
"(Remco) went straight into a ... the fact that van Gucht had previously been caught cheating on his wife during a live TV broadcast from his hotel room".
In my opinion that's falling to the same level, it's an overreaction.
I only attribute quotes to what he said, the part you picked is the writer’s explanation what he was referring to without saying anything about it. That’s a lot different, not spreading any details. Besides, the journalist was caught red-handed so it’s hardly gossip or rumour but more like fact, he himself has no facts or proof about what he alleged. But to come down to the more obvious problem here, this “journalist” would never have thought of writing anything like this if Remco had married into a good blonde Flemish gene pool, although a better off Knokke type might have generated different kinds of gossip. But a bog standard nobody? Not one journalist would care if he did something for his parents-in-law.
Damn, Belgian pundits can be a holes -
THats why they are called PunDicks