Evenepoel still aches after Tour de France, but is already looking forward, with Roubaix an Flanders as possibilities

Remco Evenepoel can once again look back on a successful year. Sure, the Classics didn’t bring the victories he had hoped for, and the Tour de France turned into a disappointment. But with both the European and world titles in the time trial, it was still a fantastic season. Once more, the Belgian is in pole position to win the Kristallen Fiets (Crystal Bicycle).

He has already won the prize for best Belgian cyclist four times. Only Johan Museeuw has more, but Evenepoel can now equal his record. The Lion of Flanders would be more than happy to hand him the trophy himself. “No doubt about it. And honestly: I don’t mind. Of course I’m proud of my trophies. For me, the Kristallen Fiets is still the Golden Boot of cycling. But it’s been long enough.”

In a joint interview with Museeuw for Het Laatste Nieuws, Evenepoel reacts modestly to the nomination from his compatriot. “I’d be incredibly honoured to equal you, Johan. The voters certainly shouldn’t hold back, there’s still room in my trophy cabinet. But it won’t be an automatic victory. Merlier deserves it too.” Tim Merlier racked up no fewer than sixteen wins this year, including two stage victories in the Tour de France.

At that Tour, Evenepoel had the toughest race of his entire season. In stage 14 he had to abandon. "I’d expected more from the Tour. And with the Brabantse Pijl I only won one one-day race. Straight away on my comeback, though, in a head-to-head with Wout – nice. Purely emotionally, that was my most beautiful victory, after a tough month with the loss of my good friend Pascal.” Family friend Pascal Vanherberghen passed away at the age of 60 in march.

Evenepoel would have liked to approach the Tour de France very differently. “I knew beforehand that I wasn’t on the same level as in 2024,” he says. "My body wasn’t ready to fight for the general classification for three weeks. I communicated that inside the team as well. ‘Wouldn’t it be better to target stage wins?’ I asked. But such a last-minute switch turned out to be difficult.”

“So we decided to go for it anyway, hoping it would still turn out well. It didn’t. After ten very good days I was completely empty, because I had to go way too far over my limit.” Evenepoel still won the time trial in Caen, but things got much harder once the race hit the Pyrenees. On the road to Luchon–Superbagnères he had to step off the bike, climbing into the team car while wearing the white jersey.

Evenepoel had a top season, but in Flèche Wallonne, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, the Critérium du Dauphiné, the Tour de France, the World Championships, the European Championships and Il Lombardia, he had to bow each time to an overwhelmingly strong Tadej Pogacar. The gap between the two rivals is still enormous uphill, but the Belgian doesn’t think it’s unbridgeable.

How does he plan to close it? “With specific training at super-high intensity. Because of crashes, injuries, rehab and a lack of a solid base, I’ve rarely – if ever – been able to do that in recent years. After a proper, drama-free winter I really want to work hard on that. Then it could well be that I take two, three steps forward compared to this past season.”

Museeuw secretly hopes that Evenepoel will focus a little less on Grand Tours. The Flanders legend’s heart beats faster when his compatriot does his thing in the Ardennes. But the now 60-year-old Belgian thinks Evenepoel can do much more than he realises. During Remco’s first altitude camp with Quick-Step, Museeuw already told him he believed all the Monuments were within reach. He repeats that message now.

“All the big Classics are within your possibilities,” he stresses. “You have the luxury of being able to choose from so many things you can win. The Tour is undeniably the very highest, followed closely by the Worlds. But… the Tour of Flanders and Roubaix would really complete your palmarès. Pogacar hasn’t set his sights on them ‘just for fun’.”

Evenepoel himself also wants to ride more Classics, but the Hell of the North still feels a bit further away. “Maybe not yet this year. One day. In the (near) future,” he smiles. “Sooner in Milan–Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders than in Paris-Roubaix, I think. Because those first two suit me better. And they’re easier to combine with the Ardennes Classics.”