'Frustration because I knew it could be different' – Strong Remco Evenepoel misses out on World Championships double after cramp at crucial moment

Time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) rued not being able to complete a World Championships double in the men's road race on Sunday, after a saddle malfunction saw him cramp at a key moment and never return to the front of the race.

After his time trial domination, Evenepoel was targeting a double on Sunday to go with his Olympic double from last year, but a bike issue saw his race come undone on the key Mont Kigali climb.

The Belgian rode over a hole before the climb that knocked his saddle out of position, which then led to cramping and issues pushing power as he was not in his usual, fine-tuned position on the bike.

Unfortunately for him, Mont Kigali was the moment the race exploded, with eventual winner Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) launching a move that riders like Isaac del Toro (Mexico) and Juan Ayuso (Spain) could follow, but the cramping Evenepoel could not. He eventually finished second.

"Tadej made his attack, which I kind of knew it was going to happen there, but I completely cramped up and I just couldn't push properly on the bike," Evenepoel explained.

"It might sound strange but that's just how it goes when you have a drastic change of position. Also same for Mur de Kigali, I was really struggling with my cramps."

As well as not being able to follow the key move, Evenepoel took a further hit as he had to change bikes in the pits onto his third frame, but then struggled with the set-up of that bike too.

He then had to stop and change yet again, having to wait for the car this time, and becoming increasingly frustrated as he lost even more time whilst Pogačar pulled out his lead.

Evenepoel said at this point, when he fell to an almost two-minute deficit and had to fight back through the cars to even join the chasing group, he did consider giving up.

"I looked up to the time gap and it was like 1:45 or something, so at that point I was like 'why keep going?' Because it was still like five laps to go or something like that. So that was a difficult moment," he said.

"But then we came between the cars after the barrage was made, so I came back to the group and with my second bike change, it felt better again, and the legs were turning, and I had no cramps at all anymore. So then I felt that there was some more power and still something to do."

However, once he did get back, he seemed to realise that the best he was going to be racing for was second.

"The gap was already too big at that moment to close it, because we all know if Tadej has a gap, he also doesn't slow down. It's a bit the same as if I have a gap, we are great time trialists so we know how to hold a gap," he said. "So the race was already lost at that moment, but I just could hope for the best and aim for the highest."

As a fairly large group tried and failed to organise a chase behind Pogačar, Evenepoel was the one who took up the mantle of pushing things on, drawing out a group of six, and then three with him, Ben Healy and Mattias Skjelmose, and then eventually going solo to take silver.

The Belgian managed a conciliatory wave to the crowds at the finish, but cut a distraught figure as he climbed off his bike and sat at the side of the road, head down, for a long time. Managing to come back from so many issues, on such a tough course, just demonstrated the strength and good feelings he had, but could not use to go for the win.

"It was more frustration because I knew it could be different today without the bike problems. Because I was feeling great from the start on," he said. "I think if I would not have had cramps in Mont Kigali, I was going to be able to go with him and Del Toro, then the race wouldn't be over, but we would go as long as possible as three.

"In the end, it's just something that happens in the race, because I think Tadej is one minute twenty ahead of me and I'm also a minute ahead of the guys behind me, so it shows that my shape was very good this week, that the legs were there, but just some bad luck did not allow me to take my double today."

He did take some positives from being able to hold Pogačar at a reasonable gap for much of the final of the race – the Slovenian's gap did not balloon out like it has in other races – which was a motivation for Evenepoel once the win was gone.

"At some point we lost a bit of time with the three of us because I was doing a lot work and I thought that Mattias and Ben were slowing it down a bit so that's why I decided to give it a go on the top of Côte de [Kigali] Golf and in the end I was always holding the same gap more or less," he said.

He also added that it was not the most challenging race he had done, saying the Glasgow World Championships were harder, and that this was yet another sign of his good form.

"Of course the cobbled climb really made it tough in the end because you start to get tired and then you have again and again the cobbles. It was something that was not annoying me, but I started to hate it by the end," he said. "But actually it didn't feel like it was the hardest race, probably also because I'm in pretty good shape."

These were some minor wins, and Evenepoel still comes away with a silver medal to his collection, but mainly, it was just disappointment for the Belgian.

"It's a double feeling today of course," he said. "Maybe afterwards I will look at it differently, but today it's not feeling great.

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