Greg Van Avermaet has come out in praise of his fellow Belgian Remco Evenepoel, saying it's "impossible to put into words how good he is".
Evenepoel has had an outstanding season, winning his first Monument at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, his first Grand Tour at the Vuelta a España, and his first elite road race World Championship title.
"It's talent. One that is only born every so often," Van Avermaet said during a special conversation with former Belgian pros José De Cauwer and Dirk De Wolf for the Nieuwsblad newspaper.
Evenepoel's Vuelta victory marked his breakthrough as a Grand Tour rider, ending Belgium's 44-year draught and triggering expectation of future Tour de France glory.
However, Van Avermaet, a former winner of Paris-Roubaix and the Olympic road race, has been more impressed by Evenepoel's exploits in the one-day sphere.
The 22-year-old soloed to victory at Liège, the Clásica San Sebastián, then again at Worlds, where he finished more than two minutes clear of the rest.
"He has performed a lot of songs, but I especially thought the World Championship was incredible. Wow, two minutes, and riding away from the whole pack. Really, I can't get my head around that," Van Avermaet said.
"I also won some races, but that was trying to finish it in the sprint and trying to do everything right beforehand. Few people really get away with that."
Van Avermaet noted Evenepoel's penchant for going on long-range solo rampages, and how he can simply drop his rivals on any sort of terrain.
At San Sebastián, there were climbs to make a difference, but at Worlds he ripped clear on the flat after repeated attempts. Only Alexey Lutsenko could follow initially, but the Kazaakh rider could barely offer a turn before being dispatched on the penultimate ramp up Mount Pleasant.
"When you're on the road with Evenepoel, you don't recover in the wheel," said Van Avermaet, who recalled two hours of suffering behind him at the 2019 Hammer Series, when Evenepoel was just a 19-year-old neo-pro.
"Riding someone off the wheel on the flat, who can do that?" Van Avermaet asked.
"He suffers less than anyone else. I have met many riders, including super talents, but Remco is of a different order. Honestly, I thought such a thing was no longer possible. Racing has become so controlled, there is so much team play, and then to make a difference on your own...
"Actually, it is impossible to put into words how good he is."
