Remco Evenepoel, a champion from another era who is now a legend

There are times when the unexpected successes are the successes that end up sounding the most. In others, however, there is a risk of associating the constant repetition of successes in key stages with the word “normality”.

of course, Remco Evenepoel’s 2022 is not normal. The cycling prodigy, the same that after warning in 2019 and 2020 showed its potential in big stages in 2021, has been discovered in a big way in a year to remember. His season, in fact, has been dizzying after planting himself in the World Cup with fourteen victories, in which the Vuelta a España and Liège-Bastogne-Liège stand out. The account has increased to fifteen after his world title in the road race, also decorated with his world time trial bronze.

Evenepoel said it was best cyclist in the world in this latter part of a brilliant campaign, which established him with all the law as one of the brightest names in the group. Despite being only 22 years old, a very young age for cycling in recent years that would allow him to still be in the sub23 category.

However, the explosion in recent years of the new generation of Remco Evenepoel, Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel or Wout van Aert, among others, and despite the fact that they are not strictly from the same year, has catapult cycling to a new dimension. of absolute ambition: the ultimate desire to dominate, the total hunger to win it allthe intention to see each day on a bicycle as an opportunity to promote the different histories of vertigo despite the long journey that remains for a new generation capable at any time at any time.

Evenepoel’s example is clear about the meaning of “total cyclist” which returns to dominance in cycling. Far from the specialists in the three-week lap, in the mountains, in the time trials or in the classics, the Belgian is a clear example that every race can be run with the same ambition to win. Evenepoel was called upon to star in 2022, but he did so in an exhibition of dominance over all cycling records.

Waiting to see if the Belgian seeks to retaliate a Giro de Lombardia that two years ago destroyed his body and destroyed his soul, Remco has signed a one-year contract to remember those fifteen wins: a world gold and a bronze, a Grand Tour in stages (Vuelta a España), a monument (Liège-Bastogne-Liège), two stages in a Grand Tour (two in the Vuelta, including the junior classification), an additional classic (Clásica de San Sebastián), another two stage laps (Vuelta al Algarve and Tour of Norway), a national title (the Belgian time trial) and another six stages in different races (three in the Tour of Norway , one in the Tour of the Valencian Community, one in the Tour of the Algarve and another in the Tour of Switzerland).

A list of the choices he always wanted

Evenepoel’s time scale is explained by an extraordinary fact: his 2022 will be the fourth time in cycling history that a rider has won a grand tour, a monument and the Road World Championship in the same year.

A sample of the milestone’s difficulty is given by names that have achieved it before: Alfred Binda in 1927 (Italy Tour, World Tour and Lombardy Tour), Eddy Merckx in 1971 (Tour de France, World Cup and classic madness including Milan-San Remo, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Giro de Lombardía) and Bernard Hinault in 1980 (Italy Tour, World Cup and Liège-Bastogne-Liège).

Thus, Evenepoel joins a list of the chosen ones with whom he has always been associated since he was known. good at soccera sport in which he was international with Belgium in the lower categories, decided on cycling with his mastery of both sports and was soon included in his country’s age-specific teams. He led the races in central Europe and prepared to introduce himself to the world.

Something he did in 2018, his last year as a junior cyclist, where he won almost everything he raced, as he finished the season with more than twenty victories. That was then shown to be held by a magic wand for the ability to distinguish the good from the great: his ability to deliver on the day of truth. That year he won all the big titles where the youngsters in the peloton had a lot to see: he was proclaimed European champion both in the time trial and in the online race and later repeated the double he dreamed of in the World Cup.

Quick step He launched himself for him in front of a professional debut that he already lived in 2019, being only nineteen years old. The Belgian team’s gamble on one of their young talents paid off. In his first year he already won the stage tour of his country and, among his five wins of the year, he presented himself in style with high success in San Sebastian Classic. That is yes, it is again on the big stages where he shows his great skills for cycling, because, leaving the sub23 category to run directly with the seniors, he is proclaimed European champion and world time trial runner-up.

From an accident that could change everything to a legendary comeback

The year 2020 has been called the year of his great international departure. His victories in the Tour of San Juan, Tour of the Algarve, Tour of Burgos and Tour of Poland showed this in the oversaturated calendar that left that season last summer due to the pandemic.

However, days after the victory on Polish soil, Evenepoel suffered a blow that could change everything. During a dispute at the Giro de Lombardia, the Belgian lost control of his bikecollided with the wall of a bridge and fell down in a terrible fall that left him with serious injuries: Pelvic fracture and right lung contusion.

His fight to swallow races has been limited to a long period of recovery and desire to surpass oneself, with months of work and with the trainer as his main companion in the final stages of his recovery. definitely, nine months have passed since the fateful August 15, 2020 and the start of the Giro d’Italia 2021 on May 8 of that year.

But Evenepoel came back and he gradually picked up the pace to get back to his level. He won the Tour of Belgium or the Tour of Denmark and several classics in a year in which, above all, he showed himself that he was recovered to fight again for great milestones. Furthermore, he has held them at the European Championship (silver on the road and bronze in the time trial) and the World Cup (bronze in the time trial) in face 2022 with great guarantees and lots of confidence.

Because if Evenepoel has shown anything this year, it’s that his injury is completely forgotten and he only thinks about running, something that in his case equates to thinking about winning. There was no trace of the terror expected to accompany an accident as severe as that which he had suffered, but yes all memories of hunger, lust and lust where the Belgian caught the world’s attention from his junior stage.

The boy who had always been lost and confirmed his potential once he reached adulthood was discovered in a big way in a 2022 that will be remembered in cycling history. The year of the irreverent capable young man to win the dean Lieja, wear the coveted ‘txapela’, win the Vuelta a España from his dominance against the clock or his coronation at El Piornal and sign an exhibition from another era in the World Cup to match milestones are the biggest they can get. This is the year of Remco Evenepoel, a current star with a bright future ahead of him and a champion from another era.