Back at the Olympics in Paris in August, Remco Evenepoel
made history by becoming the first male cyclist to win gold in both the time
trial and road race at the same games. It was a historic achievement,
solidifying his place as one of the top cyclists in the world.
In the road race, Evenepoel displayed his dominance, blowing
the field away as he soloed towards victory. However, the race took a dramatic
turn with just 3.8km to go when Evenepoel suffered a puncture, putting his gold
medal hopes in jeopardy. What could have been a disastrous moment was quickly
salvaged thanks to the lightning-fast reactions of his mechanic, Kurt Roose.
Roose, reflecting on the near miss at the Crystal Bicycle
Gala, spoke about the emotional whirlwind of that day. "A very special
feeling. The hair on my arms stands on end. A fantastic moment. Although I have
to admit that now, here on the couch, I am actually more nervous than
then."
One of the biggest challenges during the road race was the
ban on earphones, making communication between the team and the rider much more
difficult. Roose explained, "That actually caused a hectic day,"
adding that the ban disrupted the usual communication channels. "Otherwise,
you would be in the car with two team leaders, now only Sven and I were in tune
with each other."
Recalling the dramatic puncture, Roose described the moment
vividly: "The moment he rides through that bend, I hear Sven shout: 'a
bike, he's got a flat!’ Then you just take that bike off the rack and run as
fast as you can."
Despite the pressure of the moment, Roose’s experience and
calm under fire proved invaluable. “Luckily, I have some experience with bike
swaps by now. It’s actually a daily job for me,” he remarked.
In the end, it was a legendary near miss. Thanks to Roose's
quick reactions, Evenepoel was able to recover swiftly and continue his path to
victory, making history in the process.
Even with the unexpected puncture, the Soudal-Quick Step rider cemented
his place in Olympic history with his double gold medal triumph. And for Kurt
Roose, it was a day filled with pride, nerves, and ultimately, the satisfaction
of helping Evenepoel achieve greatness.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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- Mmmm would he be making these comments when he was on the richest team when riding. I think not i suspect. If we want money put into the sport we need sponsors who are prepared to put the money in. No disrespect but his team are 2nd or 3rd div in football terms with riders over the hill or 2nd string riders. If i was a sponsor i would be looking at what publicity am i getting back and Tudor really are just making up the numbers really.paultryan200214-11-2026
- I see (elsewhere) that Alaphilippe had more to say than what got relayed in this stub. Me: he was very good early but his latter third trajectory was the pits. His old boss did what he could (huffed and puffed) but Julian couldn't get his greatness back. Sometimes I wonder if crashes that didn't look like much changed the course of the rider.flyer14-11-2026
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- Ok. Tratnik's good and Red Bull's better so Tratnik may get what he wants.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. So just saying he wasn't enjoying racing anymore is some kind of explanation? Me saying I don't enjoy his explanation is more explaining than he did.flyer14-11-2026
- Buitrago, was he their best rider in 2026? He's the chief loss for them and Martinez and Tiberi (especially) have to step up or they will be overtaken by Bahrain's younger riders like Omrzel. I'm still somewhat high on Martinez but Tiberi, after showing signs of promise, has fizzled. Bahrain still has a good team but they need to improve and exceed expectations. I'd be happy if Mohoric could manage to return to his better form for maybe one last year at least.flyer14-11-2026
- Hmmm, "... I just gained 30 seconds purely off the bike. Because it's really a big, big improvement compared to the previous bike". Is that marketing for Specialized or serious valid hype, or something in between? Very likely the former.flyer14-11-2026
- Nothing revelatory or controversial. Why do we have to report on Bruyneel's or Armstrong's thinking. It's a shame and enough that the Move's on TV and that people watch it .flyer14-11-2026
- Makes sense that training from home is a big asset or advantage but it's still remarkable that he can put in three quality majors and not pay some heavy price for the exertion. I wish he would have won that tour stage that his crash while leading allowed Carapaz the win. He's a darn good rider and teammate.flyer14-11-2026
- Sounds like we all agree with the over under exaggeration: "The German’s signing does not guarantee that Evenepoel will win the Tour in 2027. "flyer14-11-2026
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