Just minutes after crossing the line to win his third time trial at the UCI Road World Championships in dominant fashion, Remco Evenpoel was looking ahead to next year and eyeing the chance to become the first rider to win four in a row.
In Kigali on Sunday afternoon the Belgian set a time of 49:46 over the hilly 40km course, finishing 1:14 clear of second-placed rider Jay Vine (Australia) and 2:36 faster than his compatriot Ilan Van Wilder.
Asked about the esteemed company he finds himself in he said: “It’s a big honour for me to step-up there with Tony and Michael. Next year I guess I have to go for another one because I want to be the first one to get four in a row.”
Asked about catching the Slovenian, Evenepoel said: “On a day like today it doesn’t matter who it is [in front] I just wanted to push as hard as possible from the first climb on and try and recover on the descents.
“Of course, on the [final climb on the] cobbles when I saw I was coming close quite quickly I knew I had to push through, but I have to say I knew it was really tough on the false flat part at the end, so I didn’t want to go over the limit because I knew that last 400m were hard.”
The Belgian said he knew he was on a good day from the early kilometres. “It felt pretty good on the first flat part. I felt I was turning my legs and holding my pace without going over the limit,” he said.
“Then the first climb of the day was quite hard, together with the last two ones, so I pushed it there. After that first climb I could see I had quite a big gap so I just wanted to keep it at a pace that I could hold to the bottom of [penultimate climb] Côte de Péage and then I just went flat out on every climb.”
How it happened
(Image credit: Image by Chris Auld/SWPix.com)
Like the women’s race earlier in the day it was a home hero that led the riders off and Shemu Nsengiyumva, the Rwandan time trial national champion, dutifully set the first benchmark at 56:41.
Belgian Florian Vermeersch would eventually take the top spot from him. The Classics specialist, who has been on the podium of Paris-Roubaix, wasn’t troubled by the cobbles of the final climb and finished in 56:41, nearly two minutes faster than the Rwandan.
The home rider was left clinging onto a podium place when neutral athlete Artem Nych knocked him down to third with a time 34 seconds off of Vermeersch’s. Out on the course at that time, Van Wilder was shaping up to knock his compatriot off the top spot with the fastest time through the third checkpoint, over a minute and a half up.
Van Wilder, who rides for Soudal Quick-Step during the rest of the season, would go on to duly take the hot seat with a 52:22 but not before Canadian Michael Leonard, who had been second at the third checkpoint, took over the top spot for a few minutes.
As the Belgian crossed the line, four-time Tour champion Pogačar rolled down the start ramp across town, the penultimate rider to start. He would be chased by reigning world and Olympic champion Evenepoel in search of his third title in a row.
As the flurry of fast times picked up as the better riders began to finish Grenada’s sole rider Red Walters, who may well be familiar to fans of the UK scene where he lives and races, was pushed out of the top 10. He would finish the day in 32nd place.
Back down the road, Evenepoel was busy setting the fastest time at the first checkpoint, going 44 seconds faster than Isaac del Toro of Mexico and another second still faster than Pogačar. The Belgian was going at such a rate that if he continued to keep that pace, it seemed likely he would catch the Tour champion before the finish, despite them starting two and a half minutes apart.
At the finishm Andreas Leknessund of Norway and Luke Plapp of Australia had both bettered Leonard, though not Van Wilder to take up the second and third spot respectively.
Through the second time check, Evenepoel’s lead was beginning to look unassailable, 1:43 faster than Van Wilder’s and even 1:17 faster than the next best rider at that point, Jay Vine of Australia.
Vine, who was rock solid and expressionless in the saddle, was putting in a very strong ride and went second fastest through the third time check, looking good for the silver medal.
Meanwhile, Del Toro came close to knocking Van Wilder off the top spot just four seconds off.
Evenepoel eventually overhauled Pogačar on the final cobbled climb of Côte de Kimihurura as the Slovenian faded and dropped out of the medal positions. Vine, meanwhile, had knocked Van Wilder off the top spot but it was clear Evenepoel was set to shortly overhaul him.
The Belgian crossed the line with a healthy margin and gave a salute, another rainbow jersey in the bag.
Results
UCI Road World Championships, men’s elite individual time trial: Kigali > Kigali (40.6km)
1. Remco Evenepoel, Belgium in 49.46
2. Jay Vine, Australia, +1.14
3. Ilan Van Wilder, Belgium, +2.36
4. Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia, +2.37
5. Isaac del Toro, Mexico, +2.40
6. Andreas Leknessund, Norway, +2.57
7. Luke Plapp, Australia, +3.03
8. Bruno Armirail, France, +3.06
9. Thymen Arensman, Netherlands, +3.39
10. Stefan Küng, Switzerland, +3.48
