Remco Evenepoel facts for kids
Evenepoel as World Champion in 2022
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| Personal information | |||
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| Nickname | Aerobullet | ||
| Born | 25 January 2000 Aalst, East Flanders, Belgium |
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| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Weight | 61 kg (134 lb; 9 st 8 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Soudal–Quick-Step | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type |
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| Major wins | |||
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Remco Evenepoel (born January 25, 2000) is a professional cyclist from Belgium. He is an Olympic gold medalist. He rides for the Soudal–Quick-Step team.
Many people think Remco is one of the best time trial riders of his time. He has won the World Time Trial Championship twice (in 2023 and 2024). He also won Olympic gold in the time trial in 2024. In 2019, he became the European champion in the time trial.
Remco is also great at one-day races, called "Classics." He won the famous Liège–Bastogne–Liège race twice (in 2022 and 2023). In 2022, he won the World Road Race Championship. He also won the Olympic road race in 2024.
In 2022, Remco won the Vuelta a España, a major multi-day race. He was the first Belgian to win a Grand Tour race since 1978.
Remco's father, Patrick Evenepoel, was also a cyclist. Remco first played football as a midfielder. He played for youth teams like R.S.C. Anderlecht and PSV Eindhoven. He also played for Belgian national youth teams. In 2017, he switched to cycling. He quickly became a top junior rider. He won both the road race and time trial at the 2018 UCI Road World Championships.
Remco skipped the under-23 level and became a professional in 2019. He joined the Deceuninck–Quick-Step team. In his first year as a pro, he won the Clásica de San Sebastián. He was only 19 years old, making him the youngest rider to win a UCI WorldTour race.
In 2020, Remco had a serious crash. He suffered injuries that could have ended his career. But he worked hard and returned to racing in 2021. For his amazing wins in 2022, he received the Vélo d'Or award. This award goes to the most successful cyclist of the year.
In 2024, Remco raced in the Tour de France for the first time. He finished third overall. He also won the young rider's classification. Soon after the Tour, he made history at the 2024 Summer Olympics. He became the only male cyclist to win both the Olympic time trial and road race in the same year.
Early Life and Football Career
Remco Evenepoel is the son of Patrick Evenepoel, a former professional cyclist. Remco started playing football when he was five years old. He joined the Anderlecht team.
When he was eleven, he moved to the youth academy of PSV Eindhoven. At fourteen, he returned to Anderlecht. He played for the Belgian national youth teams. He played four times for the U15 team and five times for the U16 team.
Cycling Career
Junior Success
In 2017, Remco decided to switch from football to cycling. He quickly showed his talent. In 2018, he won both the time trial and road race at the European Junior Road Cycling Championships. In the road race, he finished an amazing 9 minutes and 44 seconds ahead of the second-place rider!
Later that year, Remco also won both the road race and the time trial at the UCI Junior Road World Championships. This showed he was a rising star.
Professional Career
2019: A Strong Start
In July 2018, Remco announced he would become a professional cyclist in 2019. He skipped the under-23 level, which is unusual. He joined the Deceuninck–Quick-Step team. In his first professional race, the 2019 Vuelta a San Juan, he finished 9th overall. He also won the young rider classification.
Remco's first professional win came at the Tour of Belgium. He won the overall race, a stage, and the points classification. On August 3, 2019, he won his first UCI WorldTour race, the Clásica de San Sebastián. He rode alone for the last 20 kilometers to win. He was the third-youngest rider ever to win a major "Classic" race.
A few days later, on August 8, 2019, Remco won the time trial at the 2019 European Road Championships. At the World Championships in September, he chose to race against elite men. He won a silver medal in the time trial. During this year, he learned a lot from his older teammate, Philippe Gilbert.
2020: A Difficult Year
Remco started the 2020 season very well. He won the Vuelta a San Juan and the Volta ao Algarve. He won stages in both races, including time trials.
After a break in racing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he won the Vuelta a Burgos and the Tour de Pologne.
However, Remco had a very serious accident at the Il Lombardia race. He crashed while going downhill and fell about 9 meters (30 feet) off a bridge. He suffered a broken pelvis and a lung injury. This meant he would be out of racing for a long time.
2021: Returning to Racing
Remco returned to racing at the 2021 Giro d'Italia. He finished 7th in the opening time trial. He said he had tears in his eyes at the start, happy to be back. He stayed in the top 10 for most of the race. But he crashed on stage 17 and had to leave the race.
He also competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He finished in the top 10 in the time trial. At the 2021 World Championships, he won a bronze medal in the time trial.
There was some discussion about team tactics at the 2021 World Road Race. Some people wondered if Remco should have been the main leader for the Belgian team. Remco said he was there to help his teammate, Wout van Aert. But after the race, some felt Remco was strong enough to have won himself. Remco later said he felt he could have won but was told to work for the team. This caused some tension within the team.
2022: Grand Tour and World Champion
On April 24, 2022, Remco won his first "Monument" race, Liège–Bastogne–Liège. He rode alone for almost 30 kilometers to win. It was his first time racing in this classic event. He also won the 2022 Clásica de San Sebastián by riding alone for 44 kilometers. He finished almost two minutes ahead of the next rider.
In September, Remco won the 2022 Vuelta a España. This was his first win in a Grand Tour race. He took the leader's red jersey on stage 6. He performed very strongly in the stage 10 time trial, gaining a lot of time on his rivals. Even when other riders tried to catch him, he held his lead. He won the race by over two minutes.
Later in September, Remco raced at the 2022 UCI Road World Championships in Australia. He won a bronze medal in the time trial. One week later, he won the road race. He rode alone for the last 25 kilometers, finishing more than two minutes ahead of the second-place rider. This was his first World Championship win at the elite level.
2023: Time Trial World Champion
On April 23, Remco won Liège–Bastogne–Liège for the second year in a row. He attacked on a tough climb and rode alone for 30 kilometers to win.
In May, Remco was a favorite to win the Giro d'Italia. He won the first stage, a time trial, and took the leader's pink jersey. He won another time trial on stage 9. However, he had to leave the race that evening after testing positive for COVID-19.
After recovering, Remco raced in the Tour de Suisse. He won stage 7 and dedicated his win to Gino Mäder, a rider who sadly passed away during the race. Remco finished third overall in the Tour de Suisse. He then won the Belgian national road race championship for the first time. Later that summer, he won the Clásica de San Sebastián for the third time.
On August 11, he won the time trial at the 2023 UCI Road World Championships in Scotland. This made him the second cyclist ever to win both the road race and time trial at the World Championships.
2024: Double Olympic Gold
Remco started 2024 with a win at the Figueira Champions Classic. He rode alone for 53 kilometers to victory. He then won the overall title at the Tour of the Algarve. He showed his strength by winning the stage 4 time trial.
In Paris-Nice, Remco finished second overall. He won the points and mountains classifications. He also won the final stage.
During the Tour of the Basque Country, Remco had another serious crash on stage 4. He broke his collarbone and shoulder blade. He needed surgery, which was successful.
Remco made his debut at the 2024 Tour de France. He was one of the top favorites. He won stage 7, an individual time trial. He finished third overall in the Tour. He also won the white jersey for the best young rider.
Just six days after the Tour de France, Remco won gold in the Olympic Time Trial at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He finished 15 seconds ahead of Filippo Ganna. A week later, on August 3, he won another Olympic gold medal in the road race. He became the first man to win both road cycling events at the same Olympics. The 273-kilometer course was the longest Olympic road race ever.
On September 22, Remco won the time trial at the 2024 UCI Road World Championships in Zürich. He won by 6 seconds. He finished fifth in the road race. Remco ended his 2024 season with a second-place finish at Il Lombardia.
On December 3, Remco was in a training accident in Belgium. He collided with an open door of a postal vehicle. He suffered broken ribs, a broken shoulder blade, and a hand injury. He also had a dislocated collarbone and lung bruises. He had surgery the next day. It is not yet clear how this will affect his next racing season.
Personal Life
Remco Evenepoel is the son of Patrick Evenepoel, a former professional cyclist. Patrick won the Grand Prix de Wallonie race in 1993. Since 2022, Remco has been married to Oumaïma Rayane. They met when they were in high school.
Remco can speak Dutch, French, and English very well.
Career Achievements
Major Results
- 2017
- 1st La Philippe Gilbert Juniors
- 1st La Route des Géants
- Aubel–Thimister–La Gleize
- 1st
Points classification - 1st Stage 2b
- 1st
- 2018
- UCI Junior Road World Championships
- 1st
Road race - 1st
Time trial
- 1st
- UEC European Junior Road Championships
- 1st
Road race - 1st Time trial
- 1st
- National Junior Road Championships
- 1st
Road race - 1st Time trial
- 1st
- 1st Overall Giro della Lunigiana
- 1st
Points classification - 1st
Mountains classification - 1st Stages 1a, 2 & 4
- 1st
- 1st
Overall Course de la Paix Juniors
- 1st Points classification
- 1st
Mountains classification - 1st Stages 2a (ITT) & 4
- 1st
- 1st Overall GP Général Patton
- 1st Points classification
- 1st Mountains classification
- 1st Stages 1 & 2
- 1st
- 1st Overall Aubel–Thimister–Stavelot
- 1st Points classification
- 1st Mountains classification
- 1st Stage 3
- 1st
- 1st Overall Trophée Centre Morbihan
- 1st Points classification
- 1st Stage 1
- 1st
- 1st Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne Juniores
- 1st Chrono des Nations Juniores
- 1st Guido Reybrouck Classic
- 2019 (5 pro wins)
- 1st Time trial, UEC European Road Championships
- 1st Overall Tour of Belgium
- 1st Points classification
- 1st Stage 2
- 1st
- 1st Clásica de San Sebastián
- 2nd
Time trial, UCI Road World Championships - 3rd Time trial, National Road Championships
- 4th Overall Tour of Turkey
- 8th Overall Adriatica Ionica Race
- 1st Stage 3
- 9th Overall Vuelta a San Juan
- 1st Young rider classification
- 1st
- 2020 (9)
- 1st Overall Volta ao Algarve
- 1st
Young rider classification - 1st Stages 2 & 5 (ITT)
- 1st
- 1st Overall Tour de Pologne
- 1st Stage 4
- 1st
Overall Vuelta a Burgos
- 1st Young rider classification
- 1st Stage 3
- 1st
- 1st
Overall Vuelta a San Juan
- 1st Young rider classification
- 1st Stage 3 (ITT)
- 1st
- 2021 (8)
- 1st
Overall Danmark Rundt
- 1st Young rider classification
- 1st Stages 3 & 5 (ITT)
- 1st
- 1st Overall Tour of Belgium
- 1st Stage 2 (ITT)
- 1st Brussels Cycling Classic
- 1st Coppa Bernocchi
- 1st Druivenkoers Overijse
- UEC European Road Championships
- 2nd
Road race - 3rd
Time trial
- 2nd
- National Road Championships
- 2nd Time trial
- 3rd Road race
- 3rd
Time trial, UCI Road World Championships - 5th Giro dell'Emilia
- 5th Chrono des Nations
- 9th Time trial, Olympic Games
- 2022 (15)
- UCI Road World Championships
- 1st Road race
- 3rd Time trial
- 1st
- 1st Time trial, National Road Championships
- 1st Overall Vuelta a España
- 1st Young rider classification
- 1st Stages 10 (ITT) & 18
- 1st
- 1st
Overall Tour of Norway
- 1st Young rider classification
- 1st Stages 1, 3 & 5
- 1st
- 1st Overall Volta ao Algarve
- 1st Young rider classification
- 1st Stage 4 (ITT)
- 1st
- 1st Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- 1st Clásica de San Sebastián
- 1st Gullegem Koerse
- 1st Stage 8 (ITT) Tour de Suisse
- 2nd Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- 1st Young rider classification
- 1st Stage 1
- 1st
- 4th Overall Tour of the Basque Country
- 1st Young rider classification
- 1st
- 6th Brabantse Pijl
- 2023 (13)
- 1st Time trial, UCI Road World Championships
- National Road Championships
- 1st Road race
- 4th Time trial
- 1st
- 1st Overall UAE Tour
- 1st Young rider classification
- 1st Stage 2 (TTT)
- 1st
- 1st Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- 1st Clásica de San Sebastián
- Vuelta a España
- 1st Mountains classification
- 1st Stages 3, 14 & 18
- Held after Stages 3–5
- Held after Stages 3–5 & 10–12
Combativity award Stages 14, 15, 17, 18 & Overall
- 1st
- Giro d'Italia
- 1st Stages 1 (ITT) & 9 (ITT)
- Held
& after Stages 1–3 & 9 - Held after Stage 1
- 2nd Overall Volta a Catalunya
- 1st [[File:|20px|link=]] Mountains classification
- 1st [[File:|20px|link=]] Young rider classification
- 1st Stages 3 & 7
- 2nd Chrono des Nations
- 3rd Overall Tour de Suisse
- 1st Stage 7
- 7th Overall Vuelta a San Juan
- 9th Giro di Lombardia
- 2024 (9)
- Olympic Games
- 1st
Road race - 1st Time trial
- 1st
- UCI Road World Championships
- 1st Time trial
- 5th Road race
- 1st
- 1st Overall Volta ao Algarve
- 1st Stage 4 (ITT)
- 1st Figueira Champions Classic
- 2nd Overall Paris–Nice
- 1st
Points classification - 1st Mountains classification
- 1st Stage 8
- 1st
- 2nd Giro di Lombardia
- 3rd Overall Tour de France
- 1st Young rider classification
- 1st Stage 7 (ITT)
- 1st
- 7th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné
- 1st Stage 4 (ITT)
Grand Tour Results
| Grand Tour general classification results | |||||||||||||||
| Grand Tour | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giro d'Italia |
— | — | DNF | — | DNF | — | |||||||||
| Tour de France |
— | — | — | — | — | 3 | |||||||||
| Vuelta a España |
— | — | — | 1 | 12 | — | |||||||||
Major Stage Race Results
| Major stage race general classification results | |||||||||||||||
| Stage races | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Paris–Nice |
— | — | — | — | — | 2 | |||||||||
 Tirreno–Adriatico |
— | — | — | 11 | — | — | |||||||||
 Volta a Catalunya |
— | NH | — | — | 2 | — | |||||||||
| Tour of the Basque Country |
— | — | 4 | — | DNF | ||||||||||
| Tour de Romandie |
76 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
 Critérium du Dauphiné |
— | — | — | — | — | 7 | |||||||||
| Tour de Suisse |
— | NH | — | 11 | 3 | — | |||||||||
Classic Race Results
| Monument | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milan–San Remo | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tour of Flanders | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Paris–Roubaix | — | NH | — | — | — | — |
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — |
| Giro di Lombardia | — | DNF | 19 | — | 9 | 2 |
| Classic | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Brabantse Pijl | — | — | — | 6 | — | — |
| Amstel Gold Race | — | NH | — | — | — | — |
| La Flèche Wallonne | — | — | — | 43 | — | — |
| Clásica de San Sebastián | 1 | NH | — | 1 | 1 | — |
| Brussels Cycling Classic | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Coppa Bernocchi | — | NH | 1 | — | — | 53 |
| Giro dell'Emilia | — | — | 5 | — | — | DNF |
Major Championships Results
| Event | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games |
Time trial | Not held | 9 | Not held | 1 | ||
| Road race | 49 | 1 | |||||
| World Championships |
Time trial | 2 | — | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Road race | DNF | — | 62 | 1 | 25 | 5 | |
| European Championships |
Time trial | 1 | — | 3 | — | — | — |
| Road race | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | |
| National Championships |
Time trial | 3 | — | 2 | 1 | 4 | — |
| Road race | 84 | — | 3 | 37 | 1 | — | |
Records and Awards
Remco Evenepoel holds several impressive records and has received many awards:
- He won a cycling monument, a Grand Tour, and a World Championship in the same year (2022). Only a few other legendary cyclists have done this.
- He is one of only three riders to win both the Junior World Championship and the Elite World Championship in road racing.
- He has won the Clásica de San Sebastián three times, sharing the record for most wins.
- He has won the Volta ao Algarve three times, also sharing the record.
- He is one of two cyclists to win both the World Road Race (2022) and World Time Trial (2023) championships.
- He is the only male cyclist to win both the road race and time trial at the same Olympic Games (2024).
- He is a World Champion in road race (2022) and time trial (2023), and an Olympic Champion in road race and time trial (2024).
Honours and Awards
- Crystal Bicycle – Best Young Rider: 2018
- Belgian Promising Talent of the Year: 2018
- Belgian Sportsman of the Year: 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024
- Crystal Bicycle – Best Professional Cyclist: 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024
- Flandrien of the Year: 2022, 2024
- Belgian National Sports Merit Award: 2022
- Vélo d'Or: 2022
- VeloNews Male Road Rider of the Year: 2022
- Vlaamse Reus: 2022
- Flemish Sportsjewel: 2022
- HLN/VTM Belgian of the Year: 2022, 2024
A statue of Remco Evenepoel was made on the Fóia mountain in Portugal. It celebrates his victory in a stage of the 2020 Volta ao Algarve.
See also
In Spanish: Remco Evenepoel para niños
