"That's a deadly combination" - Rival accepts Remco Evenepoel is the perfect time trial machine

Daan Hoole entered the European Championships as the Netherlands' best option for a result in the men's elite time-trial and came away from the race with a solid sixth place, beating the likes of Mathias Vacek, Stefan Küng and Alec Segaert directly. The Lidl-Trek rider talked about how the wind affected the riders on the day and praised Remco Evenepoel's performance.

"In terms of position, it couldn't be better than his position on the bike, and he's also an extremely good rider. That's a deadly combination, of course," Hoole said in an interview with In de Leiderstrui regarding the now reigning Olympic, World and European champion in the discipline. 

And this Wednesday, there were simply no chances for anyone even at their best to beat the Belgian, who won with a margin of 43 seconds over Filippo Ganna in the mostly flat 24-kilometer long course. "When Evenepoel is good, he's practically unbeatable by anyone right now. That's difficult for a time trialist, although I'm still quite far from it. For guys like Filippo Ganna, it could be frustrating."

However the 26-year old, who is moving to the AG2R team next year, can be satisfied with his owwn ride. "I gave it my all, had good legs, and put out good wattage. Maybe I rode a bit too hard towards the final climb, which caused me to stall a bit and lose touch with the podium. That's always a bit of a pitfall for me, because I keep going on the flat. I'm really happy in the end, because I felt good, had a good rhythm, and then it is what it is".

Weather conditions were already forecasted to be tricky for the time-trial, with a strong northern wind making it a headwind for most of the course and changing the dynamics of the time-trial, perhaps favouring the shorter riders such as Evenepoel and the surprise of the day Niklas Larsen who closed the podium.

"When we rode here, we thought it wouldn't be too bad. But it was truly absurd. In the first part, it wasn't that much of a problem, but then it came from the side. You really felt the gusts, especially in the penultimate corner," he explains. "You turned right there and felt the wind gusts on your bike."

However, the Dutchman was happy with his performance in the Europeans, seeing as he usually performs better in the longer races. "I won one in a Grand Tour this year, but it's mainly different in terms of preparation. It's difficult to get the right feeling for a one-day time trial because you often rest too much, which causes your heart rate to quickly rise. In a Grand Tour, you're in a good flow, and if you can take it a bit easier the day before a time trial, it's easier to ride well," he concluded.