There was an impromptu celebration for Remco Evenepoel on the Belgian lodge in Wetzikon on Sunday night after he had received his second successive time trial world title, however the man of the hour was already casting his thoughts forward to a different urgent appointment subsequent weekend.
“Our World Championships week has began effectively,” Evenepoel mentioned on the finish of his brief speech. “On to extra.”
On the Paris 2024 Olympics, Evenepoel adopted his victory within the time trial with an astonishing solo victory within the highway race, and the 24-year-old is now searching for a exceptional ‘double double’ by sweeping the elite males’s medals on the World Championships.
Certainly, for the reason that self-discipline was first launched to the schedule in Agrigento in 1994, no elite male time trial world champion has gone on to win the highway race later within the week. Miguel Induráin got here closest in Boyacá in 1995, profitable the time trial in Tunja earlier than having to accept silver behind compatriot Abraham Olano the next Sunday.
Evenepoel achieved the double as a junior in Innsbruck in 2018, and he’s unlikely to be daunted by the precedent of the previous three many years of Worlds time trialling. The week-long hole between the 2 occasions lately – versus the outdated three-day turnaround – ought to theoretically facilitate his job.
“I should get better effectively within the subsequent two days, after which I’ll have two good trainings on Wednesday and Thursday,” Evenepoel mentioned within the combined zone after his time trial win. “Then it’s going to be restoration for Sunday.”
Evenepoel thanked the Belgian delegation by ordering a stack of takeaway pizzas to their lodge on Sunday night, and he additionally used his speech to playfully urge federation president Tom Van Damme to attempt to speak nationwide coach Sven Vanthourenhout out of stepping down from his put up after these Worlds. “If I have been the federation, I’d negotiate once more,” Evenepoel quipped.
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Beforehand cyclocross coach, Vanthourenhout took over the reins of the elite males’s highway crew in 2021. Underneath his steerage, Evenepoel has received the Worlds highway race in Wollongong in 2022, two time trial world titles and, in fact, these two Olympic gold medals.
At Vanthourenhout’s first Worlds in Leuven in 2021, he needed to attempt to strike a stability between the competing ambitions of Evenepoel and Wout van Aert. With Van Aert an absentee this yr resulting from damage, the Belgian squad’s problem on the highway race is constructed squarely round Evenepoel. Talking in Zurich on Sunday night, Evenepoel acknowledged that the time trial victory meant his Worlds was already successful.
“It takes away a little bit of stress, let’s say,” Evenepoel mentioned. “Successful this jersey once more goes to permit me to stay just a little bit extra relaxed in direction of subsequent Sunday. I’m fairly assured. My legs are there, that’s clear.”
“I can nonetheless enhance a bit in direction of subsequent Sunday, like I did within the Olympics as effectively. I’ll simply attempt to stay subsequent week as relaxed as doable and in a great way, making an attempt to care for my physique, after which every thing ought to be advantageous. I ought to hopefully be prepared for an excellent efficiency once more subsequent Sunday.”
Zürich
The elite males’s time trial set out from the Oerlikon velodrome, website of the end line of the Züri-Metzgete, whereas the demanding course of the elite males’s highway race options terrain that when featured on the route of the demanding however sadly discontinued Traditional.
“I believe it’s a bit between a little bit of a light-weight model of Lombardia and Liège, it’s a mixture of that,” Evenepoel mentioned. “After all, the riders who’re a bit lighter have a small benefit, but in addition the Classics guys can survive if they’ve good days. We’d anticipate a really particular race that may go in a number of instructions.”
All informed, the race options some 4,470m of altitude acquire, whereas the grand finale is offered by seven laps of a 27km circuit that brings riders over the stiff climb of Witikon. Tadej Pogačar underscored his favorite standing by profitable the Grand Prix de Montréal final week, whereas Evenepoel is arguably the one rider who would again himself in a head-to-head contest with the Slovenian.
“I believe for me it’s clear. I want to remain targeted and never lose an excessive amount of vitality within the begin after which attempt to discover a good second to go – or else have the legs to go along with the large names after they go,” Evenepoel mentioned.
“I’ll attempt to learn the race in addition to doable, as a result of it’s a metropolis circuit and that’s all the time particular. It’s not precisely like final yr [in Glasgow] but it surely’s nonetheless a metropolis circuit with some steep kickers, so we’re going to see the way it goes.
“Usually it ought to keep dry, in order that’s already a optimistic factor. But it surely would possibly go in a number of instructions – there may be a man alone, we would go along with two or three to the end, we would go along with a gaggle of ten to the end. It might probably actually go in each route. I didn’t see the native lap but, however we are going to do some recons throughout subsequent week. I hope for a protracted and hard race, in fact, like Paris.”
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