Remco Evenepoel’s race against time: from Kigali to Ardèche for the European Time Trial Championships
For Remco Evenepoel, the countdown to the European Time Trial Championships begins not on the start ramp in Ardèche, but in the skies between Africa and France. Fresh from winning gold in the time trial and silver in the road race at the World Championships in Kigali, the Belgian now faces another test against the clock: a journey of more than 9,600 kilometres that gives him less than three days to reset, recover and prepare.
Evenepoel left Rwanda on Monday evening, connecting through Addis Ababa before touching down in Marseille on Tuesday morning. From there, the plan is to head directly by car towards Privas, where the European Championships are based.
His itinerary is relentless: a reconnaissance ride as soon as he arrives, media commitments later in the day, and by Wednesday afternoon the defence of his European crown.
The narrow turnaround has left little room for error. Between his finish line in Kigali and his start time in France lie barely 72 hours.
National coach Serge Pauwels admitted the situation is far from ideal. “We didn’t choose this schedule, but we’ll deal with it as best we can,” he said to Sporza, stressing that Evenepoel is not the only one scrambling to adapt. Much of the Belgian staff are also making hurried transfers, with some coaches already in France and others still en route. Pauwels himself is due to land in Brussels on Tuesday morning before immediately driving south to join the team..
Despite the fatigue and the logistical grind, optimism lingers. “It’s by no means unthinkable that Remco wins the title on Wednesday,” Pauwels added. It is a fair remark from the Belgian national coach, given the dominance Evenepoel displayed in the World Championship time trial, where he even caught Tadej Pogačar, and the strength he showed in the road race despite costly mechanical setbacks.
Evenepoel is not the only rider hurrying from one finish line to the next. On Sunday evening, his great rival in Kigali, Tadej Pogačar, was spotted rushing through the press tent to catch his flight. The Slovenian will skip the time trial in Ardèche, meaning Evenepoel will only cross paths with him again in the road race at the weekend, where Jonas Vingegaard is also set to join the party.
The European Championships run from October 1 to 5 in the Drôme-Ardèche region of southern France. Wednesday’s time trial will show whether Evenepoel can turn a demanding journey into another victory. The full schedule of races can be found here.
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