Remco Evenepoel is part of a new generation taking over the WorldTour peloton. He and his fellow Generation Z riders are pushing out the old guard and taking the spoils and the spotlight. Yet Greg Van Avermaet, now one of the old guard of Flemish cycling at 37, is full of admiration.
“Remco was a football player like me, and he came later to the sport like me, he is just an incredible talent and he is stronger than everyone else," the 2016 Olympic gold medallist and Classics winner told Cyclingnews and Velonews recently.
“To be honest, I never thought we’d see another guy like this, but when we see him winning Liège and San Sebastián … it’s impressive. But then a Grand Tour is something different and much bigger. In a Grand Tour, you have to be really careful with your efforts and you have to be good in the third week, because [otherwise] the first two weeks don’t count. I think he managed it quite well.”
When Evenepoel claimed victory in the Vuelta a España in September, after stepping into the lead on stage 6 and then holding the top spot right through to the end, he became the first Belgian Grand Tour winner since 1978.
His world title win in Australia further confirmed his multiple talents, elevating him to national hero status in Belgium, just as Van Avermaet was after his Olympic success.
“We’ve always had great Classics riders in the past, but we missed a Grand Tour leader in Belgium,” Van Avermaet said.
“We knew he was capable of doing this but it’s one thing if it comes up. He did it really well and he was very good in the mountains. That will be a strength in the future because he is only 22 years old. We can expect a lot more from him.”
Evenepoel’s impressive win list – which this season alone not only included the Vuelta and Road Worlds title but also the Belgian National Championships, the Tour of Norway, Volta ao Algarve, Clásica San Sebastián and Liège-Bastogne-Liège – brings with it the gaze of a nation where cycling stardom is just about as big as it gets.
Van Avermaet knows full well that the intensity of public expectation in Belgium is never easy to deal. Yet he is convinced of Evenepoel’s maturity and intelligence, also happy to offer his personal advice.
“I had the luck, if you can call it that, that I won the Olympics when I was 32, so my career was already stable and it was growing slowly,” Van Avermaet said.
“My advice would be to stay calm and keep your feet on the ground, but it’s not so easy sometimes because you get recognised everywhere. It’s not easy, he can make mistakes because he’s 22, and he can learn from it.
“I think he will be fine. His ambition is too big for him to give up. That’s the most important thing in a sportsman if you want to reach your goals.”
As for Van Avermaet’s own goals for the season ahead, he is still chasing success despite it eluding him in recent seasons as younger riders like Evenepoel dominate the sport. He had plenty of placings in 2022 but has not won a race since the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal in 2019.
“The last year and a half was not so easy,” the AG2R Citroën rider said. “I had some nice results, but not on the level that I was. I struggled a bit to be better. I am working every day very hard to get back to a decent level. I am there with the best guys, but to get away from them it’s a bit harder. I'll keep working and I just hope to have some good luck in the final, and to win a race again.
“I am still motivated and I still love my job,” Van Avermaet added. “So long as I can be in the top 10, I am happy to keep doing it.”
