Evenepoel takes podium in his first Tour of Flanders
Belgian cyclist and double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel has completed his first Tour of Flanders with success, securing a third place.
Evenepoel has figured in some of the biggest races in the world: he won a grand tour, he took two Olympic gold medals in Paris, won his first cycling monument at age 22 with Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but never before had he partaken in one of Belgium’s most famous and loved races, the Tour of Flanders.
There were four big names at the start line of this cobble classic, all tipped to be potential winners of the race: Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu Van der Poel, Remco, and his compatriot Wout van Aert. Indeed the four men caused spectacle, fireworks, separating from the rest of the flock, and they came in in the order listed above. While the Slovenian world champion gave a masterclass in slowly but surely eliminating the competition, our Belgian phenomenon put on a wonderful show of his time trialling skills, nearly catching up with Tadej and Mathieu, and protecting his third place.
The cobble classics are a big part of Belgium’s cycling history and identity. Did you know that there are 59 epic climbs in Belgium that can get your name onto a wall of fame in the Tour of Flanders centre in Oudenaarde?