"With Remco it's a bit more cocky" - Is Evenepoel vs Pogacar the best rivalry in cycling right now?
Cycling
After six months away from racing due to a training crash in
December, Remco Evenepoel has come back like he never left. In the space of a
week, the Belgian star has taken victory at the Brabantse Pijl and secured
third place at the Amstel Gold Race, two races, two podiums to kick off his
2025 season.
In the latest episode of the Kop over Kop podcast,
Jeroen Vanbelleghem, Karsten Kroon, and Jan Hermsen analysed Evenepoel’s
explosive return, and his budding rivalry with Tadej Pogacar.
"Remco's performance in the Brabantse Pijl was already
one of the moments of the season for me," said Vanbelleghem. "He won
the sprint from Wout van Aert there, and that gave him courage to also gamble
on his sprint in the Amstel on Sunday. Unfortunately, that turned out just
wrong."
Kroon pointed to that decision as the turning point in
Sunday’s finale, "Remco should have gone there already. Then you would
have seen that Mattias Skjelmose and Tadej Pogacar would have a hard time. Now
we got a sprint of dying swans. Remco rides fourteen seconds flat in the
sprint, but that is too much for the victory. He capped it."
Vanbelleghem believes Pogacar may have underestimated his
competition in the absence of Mathieu van der Poel, "Without Mathieu Van
der Poel, he probably thought he could handle the rest. But he was very wrong.
He was close, but it wasn't sovereign. And then you see that Remco, who had
fallen earlier, comes back and is simply the best in the race again."
Hermsen agreed that Friday’s result may have influenced
Evenepoel’s tactical approach.
"If Remco had not won that sprint from Van Aert on Friday, he might not
have gambled on his sprint at all in the Amstel."
The rivalry between Pogacar and Evenepoel is clearly
starting to heat up, "The rivalry between Evenepoel and Pogacar is
great," said Vanbelleghem. "With Pogacar and Van der Poel it's always
friendly. But with Remco it's a bit more cocky. And that makes the race more
exciting."
Kroon echoed the sentiment, "It was great that Remco
went full throttle over Pogacar. Only Skjelmose had something up his sleeve. He
was able to save his strength and eventually finished it off nicely in the
sprint."
Looking ahead to Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Vanbelleghem sees the
potential for something special, "It would be a dream to see Evenepoel and
Pogacar in a man-to-man duel there. Just like Frank Vandenbroucke and Michele
Bartoli in their best days. I think it's a beautiful region to cycle. The La
Redoute and the Roche-aux-Faucons will be decisive."
Read also
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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