"Remco got far too worked up - he threw in the towel too quickly": Jan Bakelants criticises Evenepoel over bike change fiasco in Kigali Worlds road race

On a scorching day in Kigali, as Tadej Pogacar launched one of the most audacious attacks in modern World Championship history, the man many tipped to challenge him found himself caught in a storm of mechanical misfortune, mental misfires, and mounting frustration. Remco Evenepoel may have salvaged silver at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships, but for some, the way he lost gold told a deeper story.

Chief among the critics is former pro and seasoned analyst Jan Bakelants, who believes Evenepoel’s chance to dethrone Pogacar was never just lost in the legs — but in the mind. “Remco got far too worked up about things that weren’t central to the race,” Bakelants told HLN. “Usually he’s someone who channels adversity, who finds power in it. But this time, he threw in the towel too quickly — and ended up dropping far too far back.”

The drama began when Evenepoel encountered a saddle issue on the brutal Mont Kigali ascent. Unable to properly apply power, he called for a bike change — only to wait over 40 seconds on the roadside, visibly fuming, before remounting. “There wasn’t a real alternative at that point,” Bakelants argued. “He had to keep riding and find a way to mentally reset. The fact he stood still for so long — that was, in my opinion, the biggest mistake of the day.”

Evenepoel eventually clawed his way back. From there, he began to look like the Remco of old, storming through the splintered remains of the chase group to solidify second. But by then, Pogacar was long gone, already over a minute up the road, gliding toward a second consecutive rainbow jersey.

That’s the question still echoing through the cycling world. Evenepoel was Belgium’s undisputed leader, but cracks began to show even before his bike woes. Teammate Cian Uijtdebroeks, who appeared stronger at moments, opted not to tow his captain back into contention — a decision Bakelants suspects only added to Evenepoel’s frustration.

“Did the fact his top domestique seemed a bit stronger make him nervous?” he mused. “And when Cian rode past without pulling him back, maybe that was the final drop in his mental tank.”

Still, Bakelants stops short of suggesting Evenepoel could have beaten Pogacar, even on a flawless day. “Let’s be honest — even without all his issues, the outcome likely wouldn’t have changed. Pogacar was simply on another level.”

Evenepoel’s silver medal remains a remarkable result, given the circumstances. But in Kigali, it wasn’t just the gradient or the heat that beat him — it was a chain of events that knocked him out of rhythm and, briefly, out of the fight. In the chaos, Pogacar thrived. Remco endured. And Jan Bakelants, watching closely, saw a rare chink in the Belgian’s usually unbreakable armour.