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 and rides for the UCI WorldTeam Soudal–Quick-Step.
Many people think Evenepoel is one of the best time trial riders of his time. He has won the UCI World Championship in time trials twice (in 2023 and 2024). He also won Olympic gold in the time trial in 2024 and was European champion in 2019.
Evenepoel has also won important one-day races called "classics." He won Liège–Bastogne–Liège twice (in 2022 and 2023). In 2022, he became the UCI road race world champion. He also won the Olympic road race in 2024.
In 2022, Evenepoel won the Vuelta a España, a major multi-day race. He was the first Belgian to win a Grand Tour race since 1978. In 2024, he rode in the Tour de France for the first time. He finished third overall and won the young rider's classification.
From Football to Cycling
Remco Evenepoel was born on January 25, 2000, in Aalst, Belgium. His father, Patrick Evenepoel, was also a professional cyclist for a short time.
Early Life and Football Career
Remco started playing football when he was five years old. He joined the youth academy of R.S.C. Anderlecht. Later, he played for PSV Eindhoven before returning to Anderlecht. He was a defensive midfielder and left back.
Evenepoel was considered a very promising football player in Belgium. He played for Belgium's U15 and U16 national youth teams. He was known for his great stamina and leadership skills. He even captained both Anderlecht and Belgium's youth teams.
At 16, he ran the Brussels Half-Marathon without special training. He finished 13th, which was very impressive. After a leg injury, his football career changed. He decided to leave football and focus on cycling full-time.
Remco's Cycling Journey
Remco Evenepoel started cycling full-time in 2017.
Junior Cycling Success
In his first year, Remco learned a lot about bike handling and riding in groups. He quickly became very good.
In 2018, he won both the time trial and road race at the European Junior Road Cycling Championships. He won the road race by a huge margin of almost 10 minutes!
Later that year, he also won both the road race and the time trial at the UCI Junior Road World Championships. This showed he was a huge talent.
Turning Professional with Deceuninck–Quick-Step
Evenepoel decided to skip the under-23 level and became a professional cyclist in 2019. He joined the team Deceuninck–Quick-Step (now Soudal–Quick-Step).
2019: A Strong Start
In his first professional race, the Vuelta a San Juan, he won the best young rider award. His first professional victory came at the Tour of Belgium, where he won the overall race.
On August 3, 2019, Evenepoel won his first UCI WorldTour race, the Clásica de San Sebastián. He was only 19 years old, making him one of the youngest riders ever to win a major cycling classic. A few days later, he won the time trial at the 2019 European Road Championships. At the World Championships, he won a silver medal in the time trial.
2020: A Serious Crash
Evenepoel started 2020 by winning the Vuelta a San Juan and the Volta ao Algarve. After a break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he won the Vuelta a Burgos and the Tour de Pologne.
However, he had a very serious accident at the Il Lombardia race. He crashed off a bridge and fell about 9 meters. He broke his pelvis and bruised his lung. This injury kept him from racing for a long time.
2021: Returning to Racing
Evenepoel returned to racing at the 2021 Giro d'Italia, a big multi-day race. He finished well in the opening time trial. He was in the top 10 overall for many stages but had to leave the race after another crash.
He competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, finishing 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 his role in the Belgian team at the World Road Race. Some people thought he rode too much for himself. Evenepoel later said he felt he could have won but was told to work for his teammate. This caused some disagreements within the team.
2022: Grand Tour and World Champion
On April 24, Evenepoel won his first major "monument" race, Liège–Bastogne–Liège. He rode alone for almost 30 km to win. He also won the 2022 Clásica de San Sebastián again, riding solo for a long distance.
In September, Evenepoel won the 2022 Vuelta a España, his first ever Grand Tour victory. He took the leader's red jersey early in the race and held onto it. He won two stages, including a time trial. This was a historic win for Belgium.
Later in September, Evenepoel competed at the 2022 UCI Road World Championships in Australia. He won the road race, riding alone for the last 25 km. He also won a bronze medal in the time trial. For his amazing achievements in 2022, he received the Vélo d'Or award, given to the best cyclist of the season.
2023: Time Trial World Champion
On April 23, 2023, Evenepoel won 2023 Liège–Bastogne–Liège for the second year in a row. He attacked on a tough climb and rode solo to the finish.
In May, he started the 2023 Giro d'Italia as a favorite. He won two time trial stages and wore the leader's pink jersey. However, he had to leave the race after testing positive for COVID-19.
After recovering, he won a stage at the 2023 Tour de Suisse and dedicated it to a fellow cyclist who had passed away. He also won the Belgian road race championship for the first time. Later that summer, he won the 2023 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 one of the few cyclists to win both the road race and time trial World Championships.
2024: Double Olympic Gold
Evenepoel started 2024 with wins at the Figueira Champions Classic and the Tour of the Algarve. He also finished second overall at Paris-Nice, winning the points and mountains classifications.
In April, he crashed during the Tour of the Basque Country and broke his collarbone and shoulder blade. He needed surgery but recovered well.
Evenepoel made his first appearance at the 2024 Tour de France. He won one stage, a time trial, and finished third overall. He also won the white jersey for the best young rider.
Just six days after the Tour de France, Evenepoel won a gold medal in the Olympic Time Trial at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. A week later, he won another Olympic gold in the road race, even after getting a flat tire near the end. He became the first man to win both Olympic road cycling events at the same Olympics.
In September, Evenepoel won the time trial at the 2024 UCI Road World Championships in Zürich. He finished his 2024 season with a second-place finish at Il Lombardia.
In December 2024, Evenepoel had another training accident, colliding with a postal vehicle. He suffered several fractures and a dislocated collarbone.
2025: Recovery and Return
Evenepoel missed the start of the 2025 season while recovering from his injuries. He described his recovery as "the hardest battle of my life so far."
He returned to racing in April and won the Brabantse Pijl. He also finished third at the Amstel Gold Race and ninth at La Flèche Wallonne. He won the time trial stage at the Tour de Romandie and the Critérium du Dauphiné. He also won his second Belgian time trial championship.
In July, Evenepoel started the 2025 Tour de France. He won the stage 5 time trial and was second overall for a while. However, he struggled in the mountains and had to leave the race after stage 13. He later said he rode the Tour with a broken rib and a sinus infection.
About Remco's Life
Remco Evenepoel is the son of Patrick Evenepoel, who was also a professional cyclist. Since 2022, Remco has been married to Oumaïma Rayane, whom he met in high school.
Evenepoel speaks Dutch, French, and English fluently.
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See also
In Spanish: Remco Evenepoel para niños
