Belgian makes his first competitive outing as world champion at Binche-Chimay-Binche
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Evenepoel unveils his new bike(Image credit: Wout Beel)
The new bike on show at the celebration in Brussels (Image credit: Wout Beel)
Evenepoel lifted his bike over his head to celebrate his junior world title in 2018(Image credit: Wout Beel)
Evenepoel shows off his new paint-job(Image credit: Wout Beel)
Evenepoel's white Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7(Image credit: Wout Beel)
Top tube personalisation for the new world champ(Image credit: Wout Beel)
Subtle rainbow details(Image credit: Wout Beel)
Another look at the top tube(Image credit: Wout Beel)
The rainbow head unit mount(Image credit: Wout Beel)
An engraving for the seat stays - "Legends are built not born"(Image credit: Wout Beel)
Another look at the stays(Image credit: Wout Beel)
Some colour on the front mech(Image credit: Wout Beel)
Evenepoel lifts his new bike above his head(Image credit: Wout Beel)
Evenepoel rocks up to Binche-Chimay-Binche(Image credit: Getty Images)
Evenepoel on the start line(Image credit: Getty Images)
He gets to grips with his new gear(Image credit: Getty Images)
On the podium at the start(Image credit: Getty Images)
The race gets underway(Image credit: Getty Images)
Remco Evenepoel has made his first competitive outing as world champion, lining up at Binche-Chimay-Binche on Tuesday in his new rainbow kit aboard a special-edition Specialized bike.
The 22-year-old had intended to end his season straight after the World Championships but his stunning solo victory, which followed his success at the Vuelta a España, led him to Tuesday's one-day race to show off his new colours on home Belgian soil.
With fewer than 10 days between his world title and Binche-Chimay-Binche, there was a tight turnaround for sponsors to put together the new kit and bike.
In fact, Evenepoel was presented with both on Sunday during a public celebration in front of huge crowds in Brussels' main square.
He has been handed a custom paint-job for his Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 bike, which is the US company's flagship all-round race bike and is considered by many among the best road bikes.
The frame is white, with only subtle hints of the rainbow design that signifies world champion status. The red, blue, yellow, green, and black colours appear on the back of the seatutube, while other hints appear on the front derailleur and the head unit mount.
Rainbow stripes on the seat tube (Image credit: Wout Beel)
The chain catcher is also given rainbow detailing (Image credit: Wout Beel)
Evenepoel has personal engravings throughout the frame. On the toptube there's a special globe-themes logo along with the words 'World Champ MMXXII' and his name. The seatstays bear the message 'Legends are built not born'.
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The top tube logo (Image credit: Wout Beel)
The message on the seat stays (Image credit: Wout Beel)
It is possible Evenepoel will receive a new design for the start of the 2023 season, as has been the case with his teammate and predecessor Julian Alaphilippe in the past two years.
The kit
Evenepoel on the start line in Binche (Image credit: Getty Images)
As for his kit, Evenepoel has a traditional white jersey with the rainbow bands across the chest. QuickStep has pride of place above the bands, but there's no such privilege afforded to co-title sponsor AlphaVinyl, who are stepping aside at the end of the year. Instead, they have a small vertical logo towards the side of the jersey.
Evenepoel at the start of Binche-Chimay-Binche (Image credit: Getty Images)
Evenepoel has paired the jersey with black shorts, white socks, and white shoes. He has a black version for training kit as well as black outer layers.
He also has a custom helmet from Specialized and new white sunglasses.
Evenepoel gets to grips with his new gear (Image credit: Getty Images)
Evenepoel on his way to sign-on (Image credit: Getty Images)
Evenepoel has indicated he is racing Binche-Chimay-Binche, the 198km Belgian semi-classic, to engage with fans rather than score his first victory as the world champion. He'll also be rubbing shoulders with Belgian veterans Philippe Gilbert and Iljo Keisse as they make the final steps of their careers, having highlighted the roles they played in his own development.
"I'm not here to race to win, but just to enjoy and to show my jersey to the people," Evenepoel said on Monday.
"I've had a hard week, I was always late to bed, so I don't feel fresh anymore. It's more a kind of thank you to the people for the support all year, and for my team. I'll just try to enjoy it as much as possible."
Evenepoel begins the race (Image credit: Getty Images)
Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.
