The 21-year-old finished on the podium of the European ITT Championships for the second time in his career.
European Time Trial Champion in his first pro season, Remco Evenepoel returned at the start of the competition which he missed last season through injury and averaged more than 54km/h on the flat 22.4km course on his way to a solid third place, just a couple of days after stomach problems forced him to retire from the Benelux Tour.
The winner of this year’s Belgium Tour and Danmark Rundt was one of the four Deceuninck – Quick-Step riders present in Trento – alongside Portuguese National ITT Champion João Almeida, Kasper Asgreen, and 2020 silver medalist Rémi Cavagna – and the last one to roll down the ramp Thursday afternoon. A solid ride in the opening kilometers saw him go through the race’s only intermediate checkpoint just one second off the pace, but the strong headwind in the second half didn’t play into his favour, and the Belgian stopped the clock in 24:44 – 15 seconds from first place.
The result earned him the bronze medal, behind Stefan Kung (Switzerland) and Filippo Ganna (Italy), and boosted his confidence ahead of Sunday’s 179.2km road race, which will feature a string of hard climbs and over 4000 vertical meters.
“It wasn’t a parcours that suit me, as I prefer longer time trials, but it’s no shame to lose against those two guys, I knew they were the men to beat today and were really strong. The route favoured the heavier guys, especially with that headwind in the second part, but I did my best and gave everything for a good result. It’s my second medal of the season after the one at the Nationals and another step in the right direction. I’m very happy to be again among the best in the world in this discipline after a ride that will give me more confidence for my next goals”, an upbeat Evenepoel said after Thursday’s race.
Photo credit: ©Justin Setterfield / Getty Images
