“This has Pogacar written all over it” – Bruyneel gives Evenepoel and Vingegaard little hope at the European Championships

The cycling world barely had time to digest Kigali before attention shifted again. With the World Championships in Rwanda delivering another Tadej Pogacar masterclass, the focus now moves to France, where the 2025 European Championships road race will pit Pogacar against Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard in a rare continental showdown. Evenepoel followed up his third successive time trial rainbow jersey by winning the European time trial title on Wednesday, but can he challenge Pogacar on Sunday? On The Move podcast this week, Spencer Martin and Johan Bruyneel dissected the fallout from recent races, transfer intrigue, and the dynamics heading into Sunday’s clash.

Early in the show, Martin and Bruyneel circled back to Pogacar’s gift in Montreal, a WorldTour success that looked almost casual for UAE. As Martin joked, “The Montreal win was just for fun if you think about it. Pogacar was up there by himself and then McNulty bridged up to him. Pogacar waited for him and then pulled him to the win. Like those guys are just having fun at this point.”

Bruyneel agreed, but saw it as more than indulgence. “Obviously he wanted to use that as his test for the Worlds,” he said, recalling how Pogacar let Brandon McNulty latch on and cross the line first after dispatching Quinn Simmons. “That was a really nice gesture… one of those things that prove he’s the real leader of the team and why everybody is so willing to work for him.”

That kind of magnanimity, pulling a teammate to victory when he could easily have gone solo, wasn’t lost on the fan base. Martin noted how “casual viewers” were struck by the display, as Pogacar proved once again why he is the number one rider in the sport.

The podcast also spotlighted Brandon McNulty’s impressive season, with Bruyneel reminding listeners of his pedigree. “He was the best junior in the world… finally he gets to a point where he has the results that everybody was expecting.”

Alongside McNulty, the hosts pointed to the blossoming of new names like Paul Penhoët and Matthew Brennan, both racking up double-digit wins before their 22nd birthdays. “That is really impressive for a 21-year-old,” Martin said of Penhoët’s 13 victories. The new generation, Bruyneel argued, is echoing Tom Boonen’s early impact, though whether any will match the Belgian’s palmarès remains to be seen.

The heart of the podcast returned to Sunday’s main event: the men’s European road race in Drôme–Ardèche. At just over 202 kilometres, it features three laps of a 34.7 km circuit with the grinding Saint-Romain-des-Lerps climb (7 km at 7%), followed by the punishing Val d’Enfer wall (1.5 km at 10%). The finale is a shorter 17 km circuit, adding the Montée de Costebelle (300 m at 11–12%) before Val d’Enfer again, the last crest just 6.5 km from the line.

“This has Pogaar written all over it,” Bruyneel declared. “They do three times a climb of 7 km at almost 7%, and then three laps with a shorter climb of 1.6 km but 10%. The last time they go up that climb is 6 and a half km from the finish.”

Vingegaard, returning to one-day racing after winning the Vuelta earlier this month, complicates the picture. “It’s curious that Jonas is doing Sunday,” Martin admitted, noting how rare it is to see the Dane line up outside Grand Tours. “I wish he would do more one-days in general.” Evenepoel, meanwhile, arrives after claiming the European time trial crown midweek, beating Filippo Ganna by a staggering 43 seconds.

The field is not universally deep, Great Britain has skipped the road race altogether, and some nations have filled their rosters with semi-pro riders, but the presence of Pogacar, Evenepoel and Vingegaard ensures fireworks. As Bruyneel put it: “Those riders are top of the world. So it’s going to be a good race.”

Yet the calendar creates friction. The European Championships now overlap with the Italian autumn classics, especially the Giro dell’Emilia, traditionally a tune-up for Il Lombardia. In past years, stars like Pogacar, Roglic and Mas have all won in Bologna before peaking for Lombardia. On Saturday, Del Toro won, in the absence of his Slovenian teammate.

This year, as Martin lamented, “The sad thing is this race [Emilia] is losing out on all these riders because now the European Championships decided to park itself the day after. If you’re not UAE,” Martin quipped, “their best rider isn’t there, but they’re still going to win the race with this other guy who’s amazing.”

Il Lombardia, scheduled a week later, will remain the season’s final monument, and both Bruyneel and Martin expect Pogacar to target it again, chasing closer to Merckx’s tally of Monument victories.

The conversation also veered into transfer season, with Cian Uijtdebroeks’ shock move to Movistar dominating the headlines. “At 22 already on your third team, having broken your contract twice, it’s not a good sign,” Bruyneel warned, though he acknowledged the Belgian’s talent. Movistar’s gamble reflects their desperate need for a GC figurehead after years of searching.

Another subplot: Israel - Premier Tech’s precarious future. Disinvited from Giro dell’Emilia due to security concerns and now facing sponsor unease, the team’s status is in question. “Factor basically said ‘we can’t continue to be involved with you if you don’t change your name,’” Martin noted. Bruyneel was blunt: “Given the climate… that team is not secure.”

Elsewhere, veterans like Michał Kwiatkowski weigh moves, and up-and-comers like Derek Gee appear bound for INEOS. The shifting sands of the transfer market underline how volatile the sport’s structure remains, financial backers can vanish, relegation looms, and national politics intrude.

If Pogacar rules the mountains, Evenepoel remains unrivalled against the clock. His European TT win in Drôme–Ardèche added to a collection that now includes Olympic gold, three consecutive world titles, Belgian nationals, and continental gold. “He’s the best time trialist in the world, bar none,” Bruyneel insisted. “There’s no discussion about that anymore.”

The only question is what that dominance means for Grand Tours. As Martin observed, Evenepoel gained just 12 seconds on Pogcar in the 2024 Tour’s stage 7 TT. “Gotcha, Remco and a Grand Tour aren’t that different of time trialists,” he concluded. Bruyneel agreed: “Even if he gets two minutes, it’s not going to be enough. After a week of racing, Pogacar is almost at the same level.”

One listener asked if Pogacar’s 2025 campaign (Tour de France, Worlds, Liège, Flanders, and perhaps Lombardia) surpassed last year’s historic haul where he also won the Giro. Bruyneel hesitated to call it the “best season ever” but admitted it was close. “Tour de France, World Championships, Liège, Flanders, third at San Remo, second at Roubaix… it’s up there with the best.”

Martin argued it may even be more impressive than 2024, precisely because UAE faced setbacks. “They lost Almeida right away at the Tour, the course was tough, unpredictable… and he still won dominantly. Then came back and won Worlds again. That’s really impressive.”

Both hosts voiced scepticism about the European Championships’ positioning. With Worlds just days earlier and the Italian classics underway, the continental event risks irrelevance. “It’s a justification to exist,” Bruyneel said of the European federation. “To have the time trial three days after Worlds makes no sense.”

This year, though, they got lucky: Pogacar, Vingegaard, and Evenepoel all showed up. That alone guarantees Sunday will matter. As Martin said, “It doesn’t matter what the course is, you can just say Pogacar is probably going to win.”

Sunday’s race may decide more than just a jersey. For Vingegaard, it’s a rare test outside the grand tours. For Evenepoel, it’s a chance to rebound after being unable to match Pogacar in last Sunday’s road race. For Pogacar, it’s the opportunity to add yet another stripe to a year that already belongs to him.

The podcast closed with Bruyneel’s pragmatic summary: “This has Pogacar written all over it. Jonas will probably try to follow him. But in the end, it depends on form of the day.”