Remco Evenepoel almost never fails. And less when he feels comfortable on the bike, when he believes that he is the best time trialist in the world and sees that the Vuelta, where he will wear the number one jersey as the winner of 2022, is already touching with the tips of his fingers -the start of the August 26 in Barcelona-. The Belgian talent vindicated himself and the cycling scene by winning the time trial at the Glasglow world championships.
The race turned into a duel between evenepoel (gold) and Filippo Ganna (silver). Since they both took the exit, it was already clear that the rainbow jersey would be in the closet of the room of one of the two runners at night. And that the test served as a presentation of a new value in time trials, the young British runner Joshua Tarlingwho won the bronze medal, at only 19 years old, but already with a good service record in specialty races and also in the velodromes.
evenepoelHowever, fired from the first pedal stroke, nervous, but let him do what he wants, he wanted to become world time trial champion for the first time in his sports career, after he was on the road last year and after a performance, last Sunday, in Mathieu van der Poel’s exhibition, a little crazy, until he ran out, or without strength, or disengaged from the race; he will know, geniuses are like that.
bent stars
GannaFor his part, he reached the World Time Trial in a discreet year on the road, but effective at the Glasgow velodrome, and with the need to become world champion for the third time in his career. He had a route of 47.8 kilometers, very long for those who are drawn in recent times, which suited him perfectly, except for the final climb. And he even allowed himself the luxury of doubling Tadej Pogacar which he could have avoided – he was not a good image for the race – having spent more time between the test figures; things from the International Cycling Union (UCI).
In a similar situation, evenepoel he ran over Geraint Thomas (another cyclist preparing for the Vuelta). He always ran regulating the difference with Wanna, who remained, second up or down, in the 12 with which he won the Glasgow World Cup. He faced the track without excessive problems and even allowed himself to ask the Belgian support car to calm down, as if wanting to show that he had everything under control and that it was not necessary to push too hard to achieve his second world cycling title.
And now the return
Now all that remains is the final set-up for the Vuelta, where evenepoel cyclists who have not participated in the World Cup, such as Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard, will be measured in the Jumbo and as colleagues, the Mallorcan Enric Mas and the difficulties of three weeks of racing where there is only one individual time trial -25.8 kilometers in the city of Valladolid- so that he can wear the rainbow jersey of the world champion of the specialty.
(The only Spanish cyclist who participated in the race was Xabier Azparren40º at 5.07 minutes from Evenepoel).