Remco Evenepoel the history maker - Belgian achieves another never-before seen feat after Québec win
CyclingSaturday, 12 September 2026 at 13:15
Remco Evenepoel is not only one of the most successful riders in modern cycling, but one of the best in the sport's history. This Friday as he crossed the finish line in first place at the GP de Québec, he became the first ever rider to win UCI road races in all six continents.
At a time when Tadej Pogacar continuously hits the spotlight as a history maker, very few other riders get to enjoy their moment in the sun as someone who has matched a rare achievement; and even more so one that achieves something new.
But Evenepoel, age 26, is a true history maker. In 2024, he became the first rider to win both road race and time trial events at the Olympic Games, ultimately setting a benchmark that may stand for decades in the current outlook of professional cycling.
This Friday he raced the GP de Québec and, for the first time, has won in North America. Having already won in all other five continents that feature UCI races, he has become the first rider in history to achieve this magnificent feat.
Remco Evenepoel is the first pro rider to win on all continents
Remco Evenepoel, history maker
First pointed out by cycling statistician Cilian Kelly, this Friday's race gained further importance. For Evenepoel, it is part of his preparation towards the Montréal World Championships - where he will be one of the main favourites for both men's elite events - but in the eyes of the history books, the race meant quite a lot more.
Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, North/Central America and South America. In Antarctica there is no meaningful amount of asphalted roads or UCI races, making it unviable for any road race to exist for the foreseeable future. Hence, for all six continents in which there are professional races, only one rider has taken a win in each of them.
What is the main obstacle?
All 18 riders who have won in five continents (including Evenepoel), all have won in Europe, and although several only have one triumph in it, they have all won in North America as well. In South America, André Greipel and Robbie Hunter were the ones that didn't win, surprisingly due to the former Vuelta a San Juan which provided plenty opportunities for the sprinters.
Two riders did not manage to win in Oceania: Mauro Abel Richeze and Aldro Ino Ilesic. In Asian there were three, all three German riders in the list: Marcel Wüst, Sven Teutenberg and Olaf Pollack.
The big obstacle was the African continent. All the riders above have won in Africa on at least one occasions, but 10 out of the 18 riders did not manage to do it. Until recently, Remco Evenepoel had also not done that.
But the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe rider managed to win the time trial World Championships in Kigali last year. Currently, the Tour du Rwanda is the only main UCI race in the African continent, in which very few World Tour riders take part in. The Kigali world's might have provided a literal once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Olympic Champion.
The 2025 time trial World Championships put Remco Evenepoel within range of the historic achievement
Evenepoel's wins
They are 78, as of the 12th of September 2026. A sizeable number for any pro rider, but what defines Evenepoel's career is not he number but the quality. At an age where just a decade ago the majority of riders would be reaching the peak of their career, the Belgian rider has already gathered an eye-watering palmarès that is hard to match for virtually any rider in the peloton.
These include a Grand Tour win at the 2022 Vuelta a España; two monuments - the 2022 and 2023 Liège-Bastogne-Liège; a road race world title in 2022; three time trial world titles from 2023 to 2025; an Olympic Road Race and Time trial title both achieved in 2024... The list goes on and on, whilst all of this has been achieved in the era of Tadej Pogacar - both turned professional in the same year.
Evenepoel took his first pro win at the 2019 Baloise Belgium Tour, opening it up in his home country and in the European continent. In January 2020 he won at the Vuelta a San Juan, adding South America into the list.
In late 2022, Evenepoel's victory at the Australian World Championships saw him add the Oceania continent into his list. Only a few months later, he won the overall classification of the 2023 UAE Tour, adding Asia to the list.
His 66th pro win, the Kigali world championships' time trial event, saw him add the fifth continent and this Friday evening at the GP de Québec, he has added North America to the tally - the last remaining continent.
Who comes close to Evenepoel?
According to ProCyclingStats, 17 riders have achieved the already impressive feat of winning in five continents. It includes big names such as Fabian Cancellara, Esteban Chaves, André Greipel, Elia Viviani; whilst in the women's field it features American riders Kristin Armstrong and Amber Neven. It is an international list, with only 9 out of 17 riders having been born in Europe.
Out of those who are currently active, only one can match Evenepoel: Arlenis Sierra. The Cuban rider is still under contract with Movistar's women's team, and could be matching Evenepoel if she takes a victory in the African content.
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)...
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- I'm not going to be impressed until he wins one in Antarctica...acem8212-09-2026
- I'm curious as to what it is exactly you enjoy watching in sport. The scenery? The outfits? The peleton full of mediocre riders? What exactly is boring about watching someone who is simply better than everyone else? I'm fascinated by this attitude toward sport. Isn't the goal to win?KissinKate12-09-2026
- The real GOATwrsty12-09-2026
- The only thing that's interesting right is Pogacar's not riding now and that's good for cycling, he just spoils it, like every race he does - he wins, what's fantastic about that: NOTHING
leedorney12-09-2026 - The only safe position in cycling is out in front, dead last, or in my case on a couch watching on Peacock T.V.
Brucegel12-09-2026 - @anonymouscyclist - thanks mate. It's an uphill battle bringing the r/pelotonmemes sense of fun and fandom to this site's comments section.wrsty12-09-2026
- My knowledge of boxing is limited, and likely 20 years out of date. Suffice to say, assuming there's no fraud (not sure that's a good assumption), then the boxers tend to be paid what they're worth. A famous fighter goes up against an unknown, the famous fighter makes much more out of the fight, as he's the reason the fight makes most of the money it made. Honestly, the various states (American meaning or worldwide meaning of the term) making rules about the rules and legality of professional martial arts means there is an oligopoly in them, so the fighters will get paid less and the organizations get paid more. Big government benefits oligopolies and monopolies, regardless of what anyone might want.acem8212-09-2026
- I would simply like to point out that you are generally right, but all of what you brought up are aspects of supply and demand. They can be quite complicated, but they are verified by the prices (and quantities) found in the market.acem8212-09-2026
- in other words, he only races for glory, but not for the love of the sports.Ketterechts12-09-2026
- Also, Michael Matthews. What is it with him and this race? He's never placed worse than 9th, I think, and did terribly today, by his own standards, meaning he finished outside the top 5 for only the 2nd time, at 6th. How does he do this, at this race, when he is so invisible at so many other races? I find this totally fascinating. Good for him!RidesHills11-09-2026
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