Remco Evenepoel: "People thought I was arrogant, I heard. Maybe I provoked those reactions myself, I realize now"
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel hit the spotlight of the cycling world very young and had a world of expectations on him. This led to all eyes being on him all the time, and over his early years he was often also called arrogant amongst the sport's fan, he acknowledges this but explains how he has changed.
Evenepoel thinks back to the year 2022 as when this all changed. There, he won amongst others, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Clásica San Sebastián and then the Vuelta a España with a controlled and calmer way of racing then what he usually had shown.
“Everything went perfectly, I had shown what I could do, the pressure was gone," he told Het Laatste Nieuws. "I had now really been able to deliver what was expected of me. A different Remco really emerged then. More mature? Maybe.” Consistent after all, a proven Grand Tour contender as well, and someone who achieved what was expected of him. In the following years he would win a lot more, including three world titles and now two Olympic titles as well.
“Yes, I have changed over the years. It has been a process that I have gone through. I could be quite busy at the beginning of my career, a tough guy. And I know that people could sometimes find me hard to grasp, I dared to assert myself, also in the media. People thought I was arrogant, I heard. Maybe I provoked those reactions myself, I realize now," he admits.
Part of this change involves admitting to himself that despite being extremely successful, he is still not at the very top of the chain in the sport and there's usually someone above him. “But people have now realized that I also realize what I say. And my ego no longer takes over. I can now admit that I was not good enough to beat Tadej, for example. And many opponents from the beginning have now also become supporters.”
Evenepoel is also thankful to his wife when it comes to this change in mentality, after they also got married in 2022: “Since I married Oumi, I have a different mindset. It has to do with the Arabic culture that she introduced me to. I learned from Oumi that I should only control what can be controlled. That was difficult in the beginning, the years before my marriage I was different".
"After my fall in Lombardy (in 2020 where he fell down a ravine and broke his femur, ed.) I wanted too much, too fast. I was rushed. When I realized that I can also look at things more calmly, I started to perform better, I pushed through to the highest level."
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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.
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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)...
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- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
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