"Remco is a rider that we will still be talking about in thirty years” - Departing Belgian national coach full of praise for world champion Evenepoel

Remco Evenepoel has successfully defended his individual time trial world title following a brilliant display in Zürich. Departing Belgian national coach Sven Vanthourenhout understandably, was full of praise for his rider in the aftermath.

“I am very proud of what we have achieved. Not only of Remco, but also of the mechanics and caretakers. It is an hour of just counting down and hoping that you can get it done," Vanthourenhout reflected post-race in conversation with VTM. "The fact that we win this time trial in this way is unique. Remco is a rider that we will still be talking about in thirty years.”

One thing that made Evenepoel's victory so unique, is the fact he raced the course in the absence of a power meter, something almost unheard of in modern cycling. That, coinciding with some drama in the start ramp, did nothing to ease Vanthourenhout's nerves. Prior to his efforts getting underway, as Evenepoel sat getting mentally prepared in the start ramp, the 24-year-old's chain came off, causing a momentary panic as both Evenepoel himself and his mechanic frantically raced to get things back in working order before the beeps began to count down.

"You have to try to stay calm, but you are also dependent on the clock that keeps ticking. You don't have that much time to check those things. Fortunately, we have a lot of good people with us who can solve this, but starting like this was anything but fun. Not for Remco either. The first kilometres must have been incredibly exciting for him," the coach says with a wry smile. “If everyone were to ride around without a meter, that would not be a problem, but on a course like this you need a pacing plan. We were only able to coach him on a technical level. Fortunately, the times were always in his favour. That helped, of course.”