Thomas Siniecki, Media365: published on Monday January 13, 2025 at 1:19 p.m.
Yes, Remco Evenepoel has the capacity to ultimately supplant the greatest runner of all time.
There was no possible doubt, the ballot made it official: Remco Evenepoel was crowned Belgian champion of the year (2024) for the third time in a row and the fourth already in total, he who had opened this personal list from 2019 at just 19 years old. Beyond his third final place on the Tour de France, a stage victory on this same Tour as well as on Paris-Nice and the Dauphiné, it is of course his historic Olympic double at Paris 2024 which marked spirits with the time trial then the road race. The icing on the cake was that he then retained his title of world time trial champion.
“We’re going to need patience, it’s more serious than in April”
Remco Evenepoel, however, found himself facing competition from Thierry Neuville, finally crowned in the WRC rally and the first Belgian world champion in history, as well as from Bashir Abdi, Olympic silver medalist in the marathon. But the verdict of the ballot was clear: 948 points against 583 for Thierry Neuville and 558 for Bashir Abdi. The leader of the Soudal – Quick Step team becomes alone third in the historic record, behind the six titles of Eddy Merckx and the five of biker Stefan Everts, but he is ahead of the passage times of the latter who had gleaned their fourth respective crown at 27 and 32 years old. Remco Evenepoel, who scored the first consecutive hat-trick since Philippe Gilbert in 2011, will only turn 25 in less than two weeks (January 25).
Be careful, however, this is already a new challenge that is being offered to him since his shoulder injury (among others) that recently occurred during training is particularly hurting him mentally: “We’re going to need patience, it’s more serious than in April and I have to do the same exercises again, but for longer. I still had doubts, I hope one day to regain my level and be even stronger on the Tour, but I don’t know when I will be able to ride. bottom.” So much so that he already doubts whether he will be able to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April, even if we don’t have to believe it.
