"You don't have to be a fan or Belgian"; De Cauwer believes we should pay tribute to the fantastic Evenepoel

When Renaat Schotte asks his colleague De Cauwer whether Evenepoel is becoming the "ultimate championship rider", the Belgian commentator is adamant: "He already is. It seems super simple, but it's not. We have to take our hats off to him. He makes it look easy, but it's so fantastic," said De Cauwer on Sporza.

Because it was obvious that Evenepoel was the dominant rider. "He's gaining almost two seconds per kilometer. That's a lot compared to the top riders," De Cauwer said about the competition. "Imagine being Filippo Ganna. He becomes a world champion twice and thinks he's unbeatable. And then someone comes along who is a head shorter and gets better." Afterward, the Italian was somewhat despondent.

The superiority with which Evenepoel won the European time trial title was very reminiscent of the world title in Rwanda. However, the road race went "wrong" a week later. Are the Belgian's chances different now? "If he stays on his bike and doesn't get off... I think he learned a lesson there," says De Cauwer.

The Belgian commentator knows that the competition will be fierce on Sunday, with Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, among others, at the start. “And we need to study that course carefully. It leans more towards a classic with steep climbs. It's also a shorter race and a completely different story from what we saw in Kigali, but I would still take Evenepoel into account, because that one jersey is still missing.”

With a victory in Sunday's road race, Evenepoel will complete a very special circle. He has already been the Belgian champion on the road and in the time trial; the same applies to the rainbow jersey, and he has also won in both disciplines at the Olympic Games. With a victory on Sunday, he will make it eight out of eight.

He is undoubtedly a true great, as De Cauwer also recognizes. “You don't have to be a fan of his or a Belgian. You just have to say: This is a super champion on two wheels, especially in time trials,” the commentator praises his compatriot.