'There's a way to beat it' - Remco Evenepoel eyes Hour Record attempt
Eddy Merckx has backed the world and Olympic time trial champion to have a tilt at Filippo Ganna's Hour Record, and Evenepoel has suggested that he will - eventually - respond to the challenge.
Remco Evenepoel has signalled his intention to target the UCI Hour Record in the future, though he added that he is in no hurry to make his attempt.
The Soudal-QuickStep rider was speaking in response to a recent call by Eddy Merckx for Evenepoel and Tadej Pogačar to consider having a tilt at the Hour Record.
“Yes, I will do it, but you’ll have to wait a few more years,” Evenepoel told L'Équipe. “I think there’s a way to beat it.”
Filippo Ganna currently holds the Hour Record after setting a mark of 56.792km in Grenchen in October 2022. The Italian smashed the previous record set by Dan Bigham, and he also surpassed Chris Boardman’s ‘best human effort’ record of 56.375km, which was set in 1996 using the since-outlawed ‘Superman’ position.
Merckx’s 1972 Hour Record in Mexico City remains one of the most indelible moments of his remarkable career, not least because he later described setting the 49.431km mark as “the hardest ride” he had ever done.
In a recent interview with Le Soir to mark his 80th birthday, Merckx expressed hope that Pogačar and Evenepoel would both look to surpass Ganna’s record, and he gave the edge to his compatriot in that endeavour.
“They should try,” Merckx said. “The Slovenian is the better rider, he’s more of an all-rounder. But Remco has incredible aerodynamism. It would be great if they took up the challenge.”
Evenepoel is currently in action at his second Tour de France, where he is targeting another podium finish after placing third a year ago. He will line out as the favourite for the Caen time trial on stage 5, a day that could present him with the chance to move into the yellow jersey.
He acknowledged, however, that it will be difficult to improve on last year’s showing against Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard.
“At the Dauphiné, I didn't feel 100% on the mountain stages,” Evenepoel said. “Things were already better on the last day and I was able to attack. I saw that they were the only two who could keep up. So if my legs are up to it, I have to try as hard as possible to stay with them, to follow their attacks by pushing beyond my limits – without burning out, of course.”
