Remco Evenepoel’s day at the 2025 UCI road world championships was anything but smooth, Despite salvaging a silver medal, the Belgian admitted he was left with mixed feelings. The winner of the time trial earlier this week was left wondering what might have been. It was clear by his shaking of the head as he crossed the line he was hardly satisfied with second.
Problems early on
The 25-year-old was forced to switch bikes twice and lost his key lieutenant, Ilan Van Wilder, to a crash early in the 267.5-km race. On top of that, he struggled with saddle issues that left him riding in pain.
“I felt like I was super strong, but having to chase twice was just too much,” Evenepoel told Sporza. “At the worst possible moment, my seat collapsed after I hit a hole. My hamstrings locked up and I couldn’t push the power I needed. It changed the race completely.”
Evenepoel eventually found himself back in contention. But the energy he expended took its toll. “I switched bikes again. But the saddle position wasn’t right and I had a lot of back pain. That was frustrating,” he said.
The Belgian also pointed to Van Wilder’s absence as a decisive factor. “With Ilan, we could have brought the gap down and maybe had a different race. That crash really hurt our chances,” he said.
Evenepoel, who came to Kigali, Rwanda eyeing a double after winning the time trial earlier in the week, was left trailing solo winner Tadej Pogačar by more than a minute. Ireland’s Ben Healy rounded out the podium.
Despite the disappointment, the double Olympic champion said he’ll quickly turn the page. “We still raced well as a team, and I gave everything. Now the focus is on the European championships.”
And in case you somehow missed it, Sherbrooke, Que.’s Magdeleine Vallières made history, becoming the first elite Canadian to ever win the road race.
Magdeleine Vallières just broke a record held by Tadej Pogačar
It was an incredible week of racing, tbh. Amazing races, great crowds and road. Chapeau, UCI. (Don’t hear that often.)