Evenepoel destroys the competition to claim first Chrono des Nations victory

There was little doubt about who the favourite was heading into Sunday's race in Les Herbiers. But even by Remco Evenepoel's standards, the margin of victory was remarkable.

The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider dominated the traditional end of season time trial from start to finish, securing his first elite victory at the event after previous attempts in 2021 and 2023. Jay Vine finished second, with three time winner Stefan Küng completing the podium.

Evenepoel was the final rider to roll down the start ramp, two minutes behind Vine, and wasted no time establishing his superiority. At the opening checkpoint after 10.5 kilometres, he had already put 26 seconds into Küng, who had set the fastest time among the earlier starters.

What initially looked like a strong opening quickly developed into a demonstration of just how far ahead the Belgian was.

By the final intermediate checkpoint, his advantage over Küng had grown to a staggering one minute and 47 seconds. The battle for the remaining podium places was still unfolding, but the question of who would win had effectively been settled.

Evenepoel underlined his dominance in the closing kilometres by catching Vine on the road, despite the Australian having started two minutes earlier. Vine nevertheless held on to second place in the final standings, finishing two minutes and 11 seconds behind the Belgian.

For Evenepoel, it was a fitting end to his 2026 campaign. With another commanding performance against the clock, the Belgian heads into the winter having once again shown why he remains the man to beat in time trialling.