Tadej Pogacar-Mathieu van der Poel duel inspires Remco Evenepoel comeback

BRUSSELS – Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel has drawn inspiration during his struggle with injury and personal demons by watching his rivals Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel in recent one-day races.

The 25-year-old tore shoulder ligaments when a postal van door was opened on him in December during a training ride, an injury he said “would have ended my career if I had been a tennis or basketball player”.

He also admitted he had been drained by the crash, even imagining premature retirement.

But the Belgian said his competitive spirit was reignited by watching races from his sickbed and sofa.

Van der Poel won Paris-Roubaix at the weekend and Pogacar won Flanders the week before.

Clocking 3hr 35min 14sec, Evenepoel also won at the Brabantse Pijl in Belgium on April 18. On his return from injury, the Soudal-QuickStep rider outsprinted compatriot Wout van Aert of Visma-Lease a Bike at the end of the 162.6km race from Beersel to Overijse.

“I thought I was beaten even before the sprint started,” said Evenepoel, who will be tackling the Amstel Gold on April 20, when he will take on Pogacar.

He called Pogacar an “inspiration”, adding: “But I have to be able to beat him. That’s what my team pays me for.”

“It was amazing to see van der Poel and Pogacar battling it out. It motivated me to push myself in training. I too want to compete at San Remo, the Ronde (Flanders), and Roubaix one day.”

Evenepoel came third at the 2024 Tour de France while picking up the best young rider award. He also won the Olympic time trial and road race gold medals in Paris.

However, he thought that his career may be over after his horror crash in December, when he suffered fractures to his rib, shoulder blade and hand, bruises to his lungs, and a dislocation of his right collarbone that left the surrounding ligaments torn.

“Of course, the injuries were quite severe,” Evenepoel said.

“With my shoulder, where all the muscles, all the ligaments were destroyed, the surgery was a heavy one.

“It was just a difficult period, the second time for the same shoulder in six months. So at a certain point, you start to doubt, will the shoulder be healthy again? Will it be functional again?”

Evenepoel said he also suffered a nerve problem in his shoulder.

“This one has not healed yet, so there’s a part of the shoulder muscle that is not working at all for the moment. If I were a tennis, a volleyball or basketball player, my career would have been over. Luckily I’m a cyclist,” he added.

Evenepoel has suffered several big crashes in recent years such as at the 2020 Giro di Lombardia and when he fell in the 2024 Tour of the Basque Country, an accident also involving two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard.

“It’s not the first big crash that I’ve had. Coming out of a period of off-season did not make it any easier knowing that everybody was starting to train again and I had to wait for six more weeks doing absolutely nothing,” the reigning time trial world champion said.

Following the Brabantse Pijl and the Amstel Gold races, Evenepoel will also take on La Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, which he has won twice (in 2022 and 2023).

“I’m behind my top shape, but I’m still in a good shape. Will it be enough to beat guys like (Tom) Pidcock and Pogacar, who are in the shapes of their lives, I don’t know,” he said.

When asked if he could beat Pogacar, he added: “If I don’t believe it, I won’t be at the start... If I have good legs, why not?”

In other cycling news, Glasgow will host the final stage of the women’s Tour of Britain in June as the race heads for Scotland for the first time, organisers said on April 16.

The 25th edition of the race will feature four stages, the first two in the Yorkshire Moors national park before a third taking place in the Scottish borders.

The UCI Women’s World Tour race will conclude in Glasgow on June 8. AFP, REUTERS