Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) is targeting the UEC European Championships time trial title on Wednesday afternoon, even if his status as World Champion means he would not race in the distinctive white jersey with blue bands and yellow stars next season if he wins.
The Belgian’s travel from Rwanda to France went smoothly, and he was able to carry out a final reconnaissance ride on Tuesday afternoon. Now he faces Filippo Ganna (Italy), Joshua Tarling (Great Britain), Stefan Küng (Switzerland) and Mads Pedersen (Denmark) on the rolling 24km course that kicks up to the village of Étoile-sur-Rhône, in southeastern France.
He won a third consecutive world time trial title in Rwanda and is also the current Olympic time trial champion after winning double gold alongside the road race at the Paris Games in 2024.
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"I thought at the start of the season about holding all three time trial titles in the same year. I already have two, there’s only one more to win, so let's go for it," Evenepoel said in a final pre-race press conference.
"It's going to be a different battle compared to Kigali. The list of participants is different; they're different time trialists, different in terms of power and bigger builds. But I've already beaten them all, on different courses too. I don't think I should be afraid of them, given my fitness.
"I'm confident that I can do well and that I can finish with the victory if my legs are there. Whatever the result, as long as I've fought, that's how it is."
Evenepoel is considered the most aerodynamic time trialist in the professional peloton, with his smaller build, effective body mechanics and compact time trial bike position giving him a low Coefficient of drag x Area (CdA). That could be decisive in the expected windy conditions in the Rhone valley and the Drôme-Ardèche departments.
"The course is quite short, but with the wind forecast, 40-50 km/h, it's going to feel longer," Evenepoel suggested.
"It's on very good roads, so a very nice course, maybe a little short but difficult, not technical except at the finish with two shorter turns. It seems flat, but it always goes up and down a little, by 1 or 2%.
"You have to save your legs for the last five kilometres, completely open and with a headwind, then there’s the hill at the end. So if you overdo it with your power and pacing at the beginning, you could have problems at the end. It will be quite tough. But I don't think I should be afraid of my opponents."
Evenepoel travelled from Rwanda directly to France, via a night flight to Ethiopia. He landed in Marseille in the south of France and was driven to the European Championships at the start of the week.
Evenepoel is the last rider set to start on the official start list, rolling down the ramp at 16:15 local time in France, with Küng and Ganna starting one and two minutes ahead of him.
"I have an extra half a day to recover," Evenepoel joked.
"I did my best to be in the best shape at the start. On Sunday evening, I went to bed quite early because I knew the European Championships were coming up fast.
"I travelled at night, so I was able to sleep on the plane. I started my trip as relaxed as possible. There were no delays; we were a bit scared in Kigali on Sunday evening, but in the end, I was at the hotel early.
"During the reconnaissance, I felt relaxed, but maybe there will be a backlash. But I'm always good at refocusing quickly. I'll be ready to go again."
He's already won the elite men's European Championships time trial once before, in 2019, when he was one of the fastest rising talents the sport had ever seen, and will be buoyed by his complete dominance of the ITT at Worlds, which saw him catch his two-and-a-half-minute man, Tadej Pogačar, and beat the whole field by minutes.
