Inspired by hunting the crown – Can Remco Evenepoel deny Tadej Pogačar a historic Ardennes triple in Olympic vs world champion face-off?

Until around 4:07 pm Central European time on Friday, there was little standing in the way of what seems like an inevitable, historic third men's Ardennes Classics triple being claimed by Tadej Pogačar in the coming week. 

Granted, the world champion has 713 kilometres and approximately 16 hours of racing in the way of achieving that feat of winning the Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège in the same season, and if it were that easy, he would have already completed the hat-trick in his illustrious career. 

But after more than impressing at his Paris-Roubaix debut, the Tour of Flanders and Milan-San Remo, on terrain and parcours that, to most reigning Tour de France champions since Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault hasn't been an option to compete on, let alone challenge for victory at all three, Pogačar is now entering the part of the calendar that perhaps suits him best. 

There won't be any hellish pavé like in northern France, he won't have only two climbs to try and drop everyone as he did – and failed to do – on the Ligurian coast, and there won't be an equally phenomenal Mathieu van der Poel to contend with: the Ardennes in Wallonia and Limburg looked set to again be Pogačar's playground.

That was until late afternoon on Friday in Belgium, a rider donning a golden helmet latched himself onto the wheel of Wout van Aert up the Moskesstraat and burst De Brabantse Pijl into life – a certain Remco Evenepoel. 

Back from competition, 188 days after he last raced at Il Lombardia, and back from a brutally tough mental and physical recovery, after being doored in December and destroying his shoulder, among other injuries, the Olympic champion had returned just in time to challenge Pogačar for the Ardennes crown. 

Only Van Aert could live with him throughout the final 50km of Friday's one-day race, with last man standing Joe Blackmore giving it his all until he was dropped, and the rest of the peloton faltering in his wake. 

Evenepoel had already completed a more than successful comeback, confirming that his training had been effective and that he was in shape ahead of the first face-off with Pogačar at Amstel. He didn't need to beat Van Aert in the finale to prove he was indeed going to be a contender, but he did. 

Leading out the sprint-á-deux from the front after animating the three-and-a-half hours of racing, Evenepoel exploded into his sprint and held off his struggling compatriot to take victory. He was back, and like he'd never been away.

It was an emotional scene at the finish in Overijse, with the Belgian dedicating the triumph to a late friend of his family, while also acknowledging how things had changed ahead of the trio of races from this Sunday to the next.

"[Amstel Gold Race] is a bit longer, so it will be a different race. I will have to hide a bit more and just be smart. It will be different tactically, and in a different bunch as well," Evenepoel said, before correcting himself slightly. 

"Well, not too different, but there's a guy that will change the dynamics of the race probably," of course referring to Pogačar, "so it's up to my team and me to make the best out of it and try to go for the win again.

"I will probably go a bit higher in the [favourites] ranks today, but I would never put myself at this moment above Tadej, maybe just under him.

"After today, everyone will be looking at Tadej and me," said Evenepoel to Belgian media after his emotional return win. "And together with UAE, there will be a bit more pressure to control, but we are not afraid of that. That is how we like to race."

Inspired by Pogačar and Van der Poel's duels in the spring

Some might call it arrogant to already place himself close to Pogačar, but Evenepoel is one of the few riders worthy of doing so, just like Van der Poel was before their trilogy of showdowns at the first three Monuments of the season. 

He's part of that elite group of riders in this current generation who threaten the all-time list of one-day greats, with his 2022 road race world title, Olympic road race gold medal, and two Monument triumphs already proving just that. It's a list of achievements made all the more impressive when you consider his GC and time trial successes over the years as well.

But his point about the race distance, in both Amstel and Liège, is perhaps the most important. They aren't 162-kilometre tests, as it was on Friday, but instead almost 100km longer respectively. He's won the latter twice before in just two attempts, so he knows what that effort requires, however, it's still a big question mark whether he can handle that behind the Slovenian.

Pogačar excelled over the long distance in San Remo, Flanders and Roubaix, and with more elevation gain at Amstel and Liège than all of those races, and the longer, steeper climbs being best suited to his explosiveness, he's set to only look more dominant.

Evenepoel has, of course, been keeping a close eye on all those big races; he's a cycling fan after all, and despite seeing just what levels Pogačar and Van der Poel were at, he's confident he can build up his form to live in that same arena of excellence.

"Of course, always Mathieu and Tadej being in Flanders was pretty special to watch, and it gave me motivation to push myself in training and try to find a better level to compete with them," said Evenepoel to the press on Thursday.

"It's inspiring to watch [Pogačar] race, but I also have to keep in mind that he's a competitor on the bike with a different jersey and I need to try to beat him, which is, of course, very difficult, but it's something that the team pays me for.

"I just try to learn when I see him race, and I'm not gonna say analyse because I'm not that smart. But of course, you have to be focused on yourself and try to be the best version of yourself – I think that's the only way that I can go and try to beat him and them for the Tour."

Pogačar looks to become third man to complete iconic triple

Pogačar will look to become the third man to complete the triple at the Ardennes Classics, after Philippe Gilbert in 2011 and Davide Rebellin in 2004. He was en route to that historic feat two years ago after dominating both Amstel and Flèche for his maiden wins in those races, however, that is the year when he crashed and broke his wrist in Liège.

Evenepoel would go on to win La Doyenne for the second time that season.

A battle at the Ardennes, and specifically Liège, between the two modern greats is something the cycling world has longed for ever since they both showed how suited the main climbs of La Redoute and La Roche aux Faucons were to their abilities.

But after Evenepoel's crash at Itzulia in 2024, Pogačar's crash during Liège in 2023 and the world champion pulling out before the 2022 edition after the passing of his partner Urška Žigart's mother, it's a duel that's as yet gone unseen in Belgium's French-speaking region.

With Evenepoel set to race Amstel for the first time on Sunday, and both men scheduled for an appearance at all three, we should finally get to see that battle play out, albeit with the asterisk of the Belgian's injury return. However, with two more races under his belt, Evenepoel is confident that his top shape can arrive in time for the main event at Liège.

"I'm the type of guy that can suffer a bit more in a race than in training," said Evenepoel after Brabantse Pijl. 

"I think I really needed [Brabatse Pijl] to find some answers on all the questions I had and we had in the team. I think a lot of questions have been answered, and it's a big relief with this victory. 

"There's also some new chapters unlocked with winning a sprint against Wout, so it can only give me a lot of confidence and a big boost to Sunday and next week."

'Probably the best since Merckx'

Of course, Evenepoel's last race against Pogačar was at Il Lombardia back in October, when the world champion put on an exhibition, attacking away on the Colma di Sormano to win solo with a massive margin of 3:15 ahead of the Belgian, who soloed to second.

So it's fair to say that if he was expected to be in similar shape to that day, even Evenepoel would struggle to match Pogačar in the hills; however, with a brutally tough block of racing from Flanders to Roubaix in the legs, could the Slovenian finally be tiring?

History would suggest no, with Pogačar proving for the last four season that he thrives right the way through from January to October when the road season ends, however, that brutal day at Roubaix is something he hasn't yet experienced heading into the Ardennes and may have done enough to bring Evenepoel's level closer.

The finish of Amstel Gold returning the Cauberg to its previous place as the final climb makes for an interesting development too, with Pogačar the heavy favourite to deal a killer blow on the short ascent – if he hasn't dropped everyone already.

Evenepoel's sprint is better than expected if he can survive the inevitable onslaught Pogačar will mount throughout the 250 kilometres, but even Van der Poel in the form of his life couldn't hold on as the road kept going uphill in Flanders. 

The Olympic champion knows what he is up against and respects Pogačar's ownership of the title – best rider in the world, but that crown is one he's vying to snatch from the Slovenian before they call time on their careers.

"Of course [Pogačar] is probably the best rider that there's been since Merckx," said Evenepoel. "So it's up to us and hunt that position."

That hunt starts on Sunday at Amstel Gold and will continue through to Liège and then to the Tour de France in July. It's a mighty challenge, but Evenepoel can draw inspiration from the English football team he supports, Arsenal, making it to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2009.

And when the slightly tongue-in-cheek question of whether he thought it was more likely Arsenal would win Europe's top club football tournament or he would defeat Pogačar at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, he answered as only Remco Evenepoel could: "Well, Liège is still a week away, so I still can improve in three other races. So let's say that Arsenal win the Champions League and I will win Liège."