After his latest chapter of time trial dominance at the 2025 World Championships in Rwanda, attempting the prestigious Hour Record is considered a logical new goal for Remco Evenepoel, with his father, Patrick Evenepoel, describing it as another "summit to strive for."
Evenepoel's third ITT world title saw him destory the opposition in Kigali, with a winning time 1:14 faster than Jay Vine (Australia), and 2:37 quicker than Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia), whom Evenepoel overtook during his effort, despite starting 2:30 after him.
Speaking post-race, Evenepoel was already looking at achieving more history and targeting a fourth title in a row at next season's World Championships in Canada.
The Hour Record would be a similarly prestigious goal for the best time trialist of the current generation.
Speaking to Sudinfo after his son's victory in Africa, Patrick Evenepoel said it wasn't a goal they had explicitly discussed going after, but that its specific preparation, prestige and history is exactly the type of thing that would motivate the Belgian superstar.
"We haven't talked about it directly yet, but I think it might interest him one day. It's typically the kind of challenge he must enjoy," said Patrick Evenepoel to the Belgian publication.
"For him, it doesn't require half-hearted preparation: he knows it's yet another discipline, but he has the specific qualities to succeed in it. It's a goal that will come in due time, after the other major events of his career.
"The time trial remains his speciality, and if he's already aiming for a quadruple world title, the Hour Record could be another summit to strive for."
Evenepoel himself has said it is a goal he will one day pursue, responding to a call from cycling's greatest-ever rider and former Hour Record holder Eddy Merckx for the Belgian star and Pogačar to both attempt the feat sometime before they retire.
"My career would not be complete without the Record," Merckx told Le Soir, speaking around the time of his 80th birthday.
"The Slovenian is the best, the most versatile rider out there. But Remco has incredible aerodynamics. It would be wonderful if they tried this challenge."
Evenepoel was asked about the challenge by L'Equipe in the weeks after Merckx's call, and said: "Yes, I will do it, but it will take a few more years. I think there is a way to beat it."
The current record is held by Italy's Filippo Ganna, set in October 2022 at the Velodrome Suisse in Grenchen, at a distance of 56.792km. The latest attempt was taken on by British rider Charlie Tanfield in August of this year, but he was unsuccessful.
If Evenepoel was to take on the challenge and beat Ganna's distance, he would join the likes of Merckx, Miguel Indurain, Bradley Wiggins and Chris Boardman as iconic holders of the prestigious record.
For Pogačar, contrastingly, the Hour Record doesn't seem to make up part of his grand plans to become cycling's best-ever rider, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG Sports Manager Joxean Fernández Matxin said no track cycling efforts, let alone such a specific and difficult one, had even been discussed.
"With Pogačar, it's a very different kind of cycling. To tell you the truth, ever since I first met him in 2017, we've never once talked about track racing at all," said Matxin to Cyclingnews, when asked if the Hour Record would ever be a goal.
"Never. It's never come into our conversation, neither on his part, or mine, or the team's."
So for the moment, it only looks like the Hour Record will be a challenge for Evenepoel's future, but the two stars won't have to wait long until they next face off – at Sunday's World Championships road race in Kigali, Rwanda.
Pogačar should meet the Belgian two more times after Sunday's race in 2025, at the European Championships road race a week later and at Il Lombardia at the end of the season.
