"The job is done": Remco Evenepoel shares his final pre-Worlds training ride on Strava

Remco Evenepoel has finished his last demanding training on Thursday before facing the road race of the World Road Cycling Championships, to be held this Sunday in Rwanda. The Belgian team leader was satisfied after completing an intense day of preparation.

"The job is done," he wrote on his Strava account. The Belgian champion rode more than 163 kilometers on a route that took him mainly to the north of the Rwandan capital, Kigali, the area where the expected World Championship road race will take place.

During the final stretch of training, Evenepoel did not hesitate to test some of the key points of the World Championship circuit, including the demanding climb up Mount Kigali (5.9 km with an average gradient of 6.9%) and the iconic Mur de Kigali, a short but explosive 400-meter climb with an average gradient of 11%.

Accompanied by his compatriots Florian Vermeersch, Jonathan Vervenne and Ilan Van Wilder, Evenepoel completed the distance in just over four and a half hours, riding at an average of almost 36 km/h. A remarkable pace considering the altitude, the demanding terrain and the African heat. At the end of the day, Evenepoel was full of praise for the route: "One of the most beautiful training rides I've ever done," he enthused.

Evenepoel's mission in Kigali has already been a great success with third consecutive rainbow jersey from the time trial start, but doubling down in the road race would be more than a plesant bonus for the double Olympic champion.

The highlight of the first-ever World Championships in Africa, the Sunday's road race among elite men will be battled out on a course consisting of 16 local circuits with and a detour over Mount Kigali and Mur de Kigali that totals at 267.5 kilometers. Despite a mediocre time trial performance, the big favourite is still the defending world champion Tadej Pogacar, but if Evenepoel can perform at a similar level as last Sunday, he could put the Slovenian in serious trouble.