Latest news with #Evenepoel
Ya Biladi
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Ya Biladi
Belgian cyclist defends wife's Moroccan family against TV claims : «Their success is their own»
Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel has hit back at claims made on Flemish TV suggesting he financially supports his wife's Moroccan family. «My wife comes from a wealthy Moroccan family. Is it that hard to believe they simply worked hard and built a good life?» he wrote in a sharply worded Instagram post. The Olympic champion was responding to remarks made on Monday's episode of the VRT programme De Afspraak, where journalist Ruben Van Gucht hinted that Evenepoel had «involved his wife's family in his victories» and was «trying to take care of them». Evenepoel, who married his childhood sweetheart Oumaïma «Oumi» Rayane in 2022, said the rumours were not only false but also disrespectful. «Oumi's parents live 200 metres from mine in Schepdaal, in a beautiful villa they built through hard work and entrepreneurship. They owe their wealth to no one—certainly not to me». The cyclist, who embraced Islam after meeting Oumi, said her family had always been a source of strength. «If anyone has supported someone, it's them supporting us».
The Independent
26-04-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
The Remco Evenepoel renaissance is exactly what cycling needs
Oh to be a fly on the wall in the peloton when Tadej Pogacar launched his long-range attack at Amstel Gold last Sunday. With more than 40km left to race the rainbow jersey took flight, quickly established a gap, and didn't look back. The TV viewing figures might tell a similar story, with those bored of the world champion's dominance switching off when he disappeared up the road. The equivalent of leaving a football match with your team 3-0 down at half-time. Except Pogacar winning wasn't a foregone conclusion. Those leaving at half-time, and those accepting their fate in the peloton, reckoned without one man: Remco Evenepoel. The Belgian has been absent since December, when he sustained a litany of fractures and injuries in a nasty crash, doored by a postal van while out training. He still has nerve damage in his shoulder from the accident. But he has worked his way back to fitness and marked his return with an immediate win at Brabantse Pijl on Friday, outsprinting a bona fide sprinter in countryman Wout van Aert on home roads. The joy on his face at the finish was indicative of the months of gruelling work that went into his recovery – and now it feels like he never left. Pogacar wasn't in action then, meaning it took until Evenepoel's second race day of 2025 for the pair to line up together, at Amstel Gold. Two of the most conspicuous figures in the peloton, Evenepoel with his aero bike position and unmistakable, shiny gold bike and gold helmet, marking out the double Olympic champion; Pogacar in the white skinsuit and rainbow stripes, like a poisonous frog, offering a warning sign to all around him. That warning was heeded by everyone except Evenepoel as the world champion took off. Almost invariably Pogacar's long-range attacks flip a switch in the peloton as even the world's best riders start jostling for position and fighting for second place, even if they don't admit that bit out loud. It changes the entire dynamic of a race. But it's not as if Pogacar is invincible: at last September's World Championships his 51km solo move clearly took its toll on the UAE Team Emirates-XRG man. A slimmed-down chasing bunch got within a handful of seconds of him in the final kilometres before descending into infighting once again, allowing the Slovenian to take a comfortable win. It looked as if a similar outcome was on the cards at Amstel Gold, except this time Evenepoel was on form and unwilling to let the race slip up the road. It was Mattias Skjelmose, a young talent and the eventual winner, who made the first move to chase Pogacar, but it was Evenepoel who brought the engine and the drive to the pursuit. The pair bridged across with 8km to go; the unthinkable had happened. Pogacar had been caught. Evenepoel's return changes the dynamic in the peloton once again. Pogacar, unused to being caught, now has an equal, or something close to it at least, competing for the same prizes at the remaining Classics. While the first three Monuments of the season and the cobbled Classics served up a duel between Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel, the story of the Ardennes Classics, and the season's fourth Monument, Sunday's Liege-Bastogne-Liege, is of the mano a mano battle between Pogacar and Evenepoel. And as Van der Poel proved at Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix, there are ways to beat Pogacar. Evenepoel has already demonstrated one of them: his long-range attacks are not guaranteed to succeed. The aura of invincibility has been shattered. That can only be a good thing for cycling. Fleche-Wallonne on Wednesday provided another battlefield for the pair, and indicated that Pogacar had had a tactical rethink. The two were never far apart, shadowing each other's every move, and rather than going long, Pogacar waited until the near-vertical slopes of the aptly named Mur de Huy, the 'wall' climb that caps off 205km of racing, to simply motor away from the rest of the bunch as it fell apart. Evenepoel didn't have the legs to counter; ultimately it was talented French climber Kevin Vauquelin who came closest, with Tom Pidcock rallying for third. The site of Pogacar's attack was maybe a little unconventional, slightly further down the ascent than where riders normally launch, but it meant he had enough of a gap before the gradients levelled off and the weaker climbers could chase. It was a finish made for Pogacar – but he may have considered attacking from range, had he not been burned by such a move last Sunday. So what next? Liege-Bastogne-Liege provides the final instalment in the trilogy of Classic clashes between these two titans. They have two wins apiece, Evenepoel's double coming in between Pogacar's victories in 2021 and 2024. Pogacar has the edge on the steepest climbs, while Evenepoel can make up time on the flatter sections. Psychologically, the playing field is level: Evenepoel has the advantage of knowing he has brought his rival back from the brink of victory before, while Pogacar had the better of him on the Mur de Huy in their most recent clash. Both have an unshakeable confidence. Evenepoel was bullish after Amstel Gold, saying that he would have won if he hadn't had extra mileage in his legs from chasing back onto the bunch after an early crash. His combustible nature makes him the perfect foil to Pogacar. That confidence has been missing from the peloton: a willingness to take the fight to Pogacar, to refuse to settle for second place. Evenepoel's return is the spark men's cycling needed. And there are plenty of others who can take advantage, too, as Skjelmose did at Amstel Gold: Pidcock, Ben Healy, Vauquelin. The stage is set: let battle commence.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Skjelmose beats Pogačar in a photo finish to win Amstel Gold race. Bredewold first in women's race
VALKENBURG, Netherlands (AP) — Danish rider Mattias Skjelmose beat cycling superstar Tadej Pogačar by less than half a wheel's length to win the Amstel Gold Race in a thrilling finish in the Netherlands on Sunday. In a three-way sprint to the line, double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel appeared to have won but Pogačar nudged ahead of him with a couple of meters to go, only for Skjelmose to surge down the left and pip him at the line. Advertisement It was by far the biggest win of the 24-year-old's career and he was in tears afterward when the photo finish showed him winning the Ardennes classic. It was a rare defeat for the three-time Tour de France champion and multiple classics winner Pogačar, who was second at the prestigious Paris-Roubaix classic last weekend. Pogačar, who won Amstel in 2023, launched one of his trademark attacks with about 40 kilometers (25 miles) to go in the 255.9-kilometer (158.7-mile) race. But he kept looking over his shoulder, and his lead was shredded to 15 seconds by Evenepoel and Skjelmose entering the last 20 kilometers. They caught up with 8 kilometers left. Approaching the line, Evenepoel was in front with Pogačar on his wheel and Skjelmose tucked in behind the Slovenian. Advertisement Evenepoel moved first with a strong attack, but may have gone too early. Still, it was another excellent ride from the 25-year-old Belgian, whose career was in danger following a heavy crash last year. He only returned to racing on Friday and won the Brabantse Pijl race at home in Belgium. Evenepoel is one of cycling's biggest stars along with Pogačar and Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, who won Roubaix for the third straight time last Sunday. Evenepoel, who swept golds in the road race and the time trial at last year's Paris Olympics, sustained multiple fractures, a dislocated collarbone and lung contusions in December when he crashed into a vehicle while training in Belgium. Defending champion Tom Pidcock, a two-time Olympic mountain bike champion, finished in ninth spot on Sunday. Advertisement The route started in Maastricht and featured 34 climbs, including three ascents of the iconic Cauberg, before ending in Valkenburg. Bredewold leads Dutch trio Dutch rider Mischa Bredewold won a hard-fought women's race earlier Sunday ahead of countrywomen Ellen van Dijk and Puck Pieterse. They had all been part of a 23-rider breakaway that formed following the second trek up Cauberg. Bredewold finished the 157.3-kilometer course in just over four hours, with Van Dijk and Pieterse seven seconds behind. ___ AP cycling:
Associated Press
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Skjelmose beats Pogačar in a photo finish to win Amstel Gold race. Bredewold first in women's race
VALKENBURG, Netherlands (AP) — Danish rider Mattias Skjelmose beat cycling superstar Tadej Pogačar by less than half a wheel's length to win the Amstel Gold Race in a thrilling finish in the Netherlands on Sunday. In a three-way sprint to the line, double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel appeared to have won but Pogačar nudged ahead of him with a couple of meters to go, only for Skjelmose to surge down the left and pip him at the line. It was by far the biggest win of the 24-year-old's career and he was in tears afterward when the photo finish showed him winning the Ardennes classic. It was a rare defeat for the three-time Tour de France champion and multiple classics winner Pogačar, who was second at the prestigious Paris-Roubaix classic last weekend. Pogačar, who won Amstel in 2023, launched one of his trademark attacks with about 40 kilometers (25 miles) to go in the 255.9-kilometer (158.7-mile) race. But he kept looking over his shoulder, and his lead was shredded to 15 seconds by Evenepoel and Skjelmose entering the last 20 kilometers. They caught up with 8 kilometers left. Approaching the line, Evenepoel was in front with Pogačar on his wheel and Skjelmose tucked in behind the Slovenian. Evenepoel moved first with a strong attack, but may have gone too early. Still, it was another excellent ride from the 25-year-old Belgian, whose career was in danger following a heavy crash last year. He only returned to racing on Friday and won the Brabantse Pijl race at home in Belgium. Evenepoel is one of cycling's biggest stars along with Pogačar and Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, who won Roubaix for the third straight time last Sunday. Evenepoel, who swept golds in the road race and the time trial at last year's Paris Olympics, sustained multiple fractures, a dislocated collarbone and lung contusions in December when he crashed into a vehicle while training in Belgium. Defending champion Tom Pidcock, a two-time Olympic mountain bike champion, finished in ninth spot on Sunday. The route started in Maastricht and featured 34 climbs, including three ascents of the iconic Cauberg, before ending in Valkenburg. Bredewold leads Dutch trio Dutch rider Mischa Bredewold won a hard-fought women's race earlier Sunday ahead of countrywomen Ellen van Dijk and Puck Pieterse. They had all been part of a 23-rider breakaway that formed following the second trek up Cauberg. Bredewold finished the 157.3-kilometer course in just over four hours, with Van Dijk and Pieterse seven seconds behind. ___ AP cycling:
The Independent
19-04-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Remco Evenepoel wins on return from horror crash
Remco Evenepoel made his competitive return in spectacular fashion by winning the Brabantse Pijl in Flanders on Friday, four months after suffering serious injuries in a crash. The Soudal-Quick Step rider was locked in an intense battle with compatriot Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a bike) for much of the final portion of the race, before emerging victorious in a sprint to the line. Evenepoel, a double Olympic champion, said before the race that he thought his cycling career may be over in December after he crashed into a postal vehicle's open door while he was on a training ride. The 25-year-old Belgian suffered multiple injuries, including fractures to his rib, shoulder blade and hand, and contusions to his lungs. "I really needed this race to find some answers to all the questions I had, and now I feel a big relief," Evenepoel said. "Winning this race, in a sprint against Wout, gives me a lot of confidence for the next competitions. During the race I felt that the legs were pretty good, so I decided to attack and we opened a gap. "It made us believe in our chances, and we kept going until it was just me and Wout in the closing kilometre. I felt that I was strong in the finale and gave my best there. It was a perfect day for us and it brought me a lot of satisfaction." It was Evenepoel's first win since he retained his world road time trial title in Zurich, Switzerland in September. Evenepoel will next race in the Amstel Gold Race, La Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, which he has won twice.
