PublishedSeptember 22, 2024, 5:40 PM
CyclingRemco Evenepoel retains his title, Swiss riders far from the mark
Despite a major scare at the start and a power sensor failure, Remco Evenepoel retained his world title in the time trial on Sunday in Zurich, less than two months after his triumph at the Paris Olympics. Stefan Küng and Stefan Bissegger were far from the medals.
Last rider to start, Remco Evenepoel even had the luxury of raising his arms as he crossed the finish line.
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Nearly invincible in the solo event for two years, the Belgian becomes the first rider in history to win both the Olympic and world time trial titles in the same year, a feat also achieved three hours earlier by Australian Grace Brown in the women’s category.
On a 46.1 km course that suited him perfectly, he finished ahead of two Italians by 6 and 54 seconds respectively: Filippo Ganna, who was already second at the Paris Olympics, and the surprising Edoardo Affini, who outperformed favorites like the Brit Josh Tarling (4th) and Thurgovian Stefan Küng (8th). “It’s crazy, I found my form just in time,” commented Evenepoel, who managed to re-mobilize after his fantastic double this summer at the Paris Olympics, in both the time trial and the road race.
But it wasn’t all easy. The 24-year-old Flemish prodigy even called his time trial the “most complicated of (his) life” after experiencing a big scare at the starting gate when his chain dropped a few seconds before the countdown. As his team was already bringing him a spare bike, he ultimately managed to start on time with his prepped machine, painted gold, and took the lead from the first split time.
“By Feel”
But that wasn’t all. Deprived of a power sensor, which was malfunctioning, he had to go through the entire course without this tool that has become indispensable for modern cyclists, especially in a time trial, allowing them to follow a pre-established performance plan.
“My chain fell off a minute before the start and the power sensor wasn’t working. I had to rely on feel. It was difficult to keep the right pace because I was moving a bit blind,” commented the Belgian, who took up to 19 seconds at the second split before slightly faltering towards the end.
“I struggled in the last two or three kilometers. But in a championship, we don’t care about the gaps. In the end, it was still a good day,” emphasized the Belgian, who raised both arms, a rare gesture in a time trial, as he crossed the finish line before collapsing into the arms of his wife.
Swiss Disappointment
With this new rainbow jersey, the prodigy of the Soudal-Quick Step team continues to fill his trophy cabinet during a season that also saw him finish third in the Tour de France. He can still push the limits next Sunday during the road race where he will be one of the main favorites alongside Tadej Pogacar.
The two Swiss riders at the start, on the other hand, had a complicated afternoon in Zurich. Stefan Küng, who dreamed of a gold medal at home, had to settle for 8th place, 1’48’’ behind Evenepoel. As for Stefan Bissegger, he finished 29th, 4’04’’ behind the world champion, despite a good start to the race.
(AFP)