'Impossible for him to explain' - Pauwels on the Montréal day Evenepoel could not account for

Remco Evenepoel arrived in Slovenia five days after the worst day of his autumn, at the World Championships, and quickly put the disappointment behind him, leaving no sign of it.

The Belgian had won a fourth consecutive world time trial title in Montréal, then produced a performance in the road race the following Sunday that he has described as inexplicable. He asked Serge Pauwels for one extra day at home before travelling to the European Championships.

"He could use that for an extra quality training session and better recovery," the Belgian national coach told WielerFlits regarding that extra day of rest. "When he arrived in Slovenia on Friday he was immediately his relaxed self. He was very chilled and could joke at the table with his teammates and the staff straight away. There wasn't a cloud in the sky."

"It was only after he won the Europeans that I heard in an interview about his disappointment. I think it was so big because the off day in Montréal is impossible for him to explain. It had nothing to do with condition, because in the weeks before he was always superb. That's difficult to accept as a top athlete," Pauwels said.

Evenepoel's mindset quickly switched to the aspiration of completing the European set, according to the national coach."But maybe the new goal also helped him flip the switch. For us it didn't feel at all like he had let us down, and everything at the Europeans still revolved around him."

Two days later he beat Giulio Ciccone by a margin the commissaires needed a photo finish to separate, becoming the first rider to hold all six major international titles. The European road race was the only one missing, alongside the European time trial, both world titles and both Olympic titles from Paris.

Evenepoel joked in his victory speech that the Europeans would be his last championship, the list being complete. He skipped Wednesday's European time trial as planned, with Il Lombardia and the Chrono des Nations to come, while also eyeing the races ahead when he competes in the Belgian tricolore and would even be open to racing on flatter parcours.

"I dropped him at the airport on Tuesday and on the way we chatted informally about the courses in the coming years. I sense from him, and he says it himself, that he really likes riding in that blue jersey of the federation and that he just really enjoys going with the national team," he said.

"Even if there were championships where he had a supporting role at some point, I'm thinking of a flatter course like Abu Dhabi in two years, where we'll probably go with the sprinters, he still says he wants to be there. And rightly so, because Remco can play his part on any course."

What interests Pauwels more than the jerseys is three weeks in July. Evenepoel finished second at the Tour de France, 6:26 behind Tadej Pogačar, and won the stage at the Plateau de Solaison on the day Jonas Vingegaard crashed out. His father Patrick argued last month that the podium was not a consequence of that withdrawal.

"The most impressive thing he has done, I still think, is the second half of the Tour. He was very close to Pogačar's level there. He beat him uphill a few times and that must give him a lot of hope for the future," Pauwels said.

"Remco can conclude from that not only that he can go toe to toe with the best Pogačar, but also that when Pogačar isn't there, he can always go for overall victory in a Grand Tour. Of course he won the Vuelta at an earlier stage of his career, but that was simply the confirmation we were all waiting and hoping for. His level was the highest we have ever seen from him."

Asked whether that owes to his first season at Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, the arrival of trainer Tim Heemskerk or the weight work the team's nutritionists have done, Pauwels credits all of it and then pushes back.

"Probably a combination of everything. Those people get a lot of credit, but I think Remco should also take the credit himself. Every time we see how driven he is. He has to go on altitude camp himself to get to weight, and he knows exactly what he wants. Now he is finally being rewarded for it."