Remco Evenepoel became the first man ever to win four consecutive elite world time trial titles on Sunday. The Belgian completed the 39.2km course in 44:53, beating Filippo Ganna by 57 seconds. Paul Seixas took bronze, another 16 seconds back, for his first elite Worlds TT podium at just 19 years old.
“From start to finish, I was really feeling in control of the race,” Evenepoel told YouTube channel Cycling Pro Net. “The corners went smooth, the straights went very smooth. So I think overall, it must have been one of my best TTs that I've done.”
Evenepoel added, “It’s pretty special,” when asked what it meant to be the first man to win four Worlds ITTs in a row and to join Tony Martin, Fabian Cancellara and Jeannie Longo as a four-time elite world time trial champion. At only 26, he has time to surpass that record.
“I was not really thinking about the fourth time in a row before the race,” he continued. “I was really focused on just putting out the best TT as possible. Now it feels extra good to know that it’s the first time ever, four in a row.”
Results
Elite Men's Individual Time Trial, Montréal • Sep 20 • 39.2km
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Remco EVENEPOEL | BELBelgium | 44:53 |
| 🥈 | Filippo GANNA | ITAItaly | +0:57 |
| 🥉 | Paul SEIXAS | FRAFrance | +1:13 |
| 4 | Brandon MCNULTY | USAUnited States | +1:25 |
| 5 | Jakob SÖDERQVIST | SWESweden | +1:26 |
| 6 | Isaac DEL TORO | MEXMexico | +1:38 |
| 7 | Stefan KÜNG | SUISwitzerland | +1:44 |
| 8 | Kasper ASGREEN | DENDenmark | +1:48 |
| 9 | Callum THORNLEY | GBRGreat Britain | +2:02 |
| 10 | Daan HOOLE | NEDNetherlands | +2:02 |
| 11 | Alec SEGAERT | BELBelgium | +2:03 |
| 12 | Mikkel BJERG | DENDenmark | +2:06 |
| 13 | Michael LEONARD | CANCanada | +2:09 |
| 14 | Jasha SÜTTERLIN | GERGermany | +2:10 |
| 15 | Iván ROMEO | ESPSpain | +2:13 |
| 16 | Mattia CATTANEO | ITAItaly | +2:14 |
| 17 | Jan TRATNIK | SLOSlovenia | +2:15 |
| 18 | Ethan HAYTER | GBRGreat Britain | +2:18 |
| 19 | Artem SHMIDT | USAUnited States | +2:20 |
| 20 | Nelson OLIVEIRA | PORPortugal | +2:23 |
His recon went well, and the dry weather gave him the confidence to throw everything at the race.
“Honestly, I was not thinking too much while taking the corners because I knew it was dry,” he said. “Also, with the new bike, I have the feeling that I can take the corners a bit more aggressively. I was feeling very confident after yesterday’s recon.
“I knew I could start pretty aggressively, then go into the long straights with a very stable power output, and then, coming back into the final, go pretty aggressive again,” he said. “I think I’ve managed the TT perfectly, and I’m just very happy with the result.”
Silver medallist Ganna, a two-time winner before Evenepoel’s run of titles, was content with his ride and could not identify where he had lost time to the flying Belgian, having emptied the tank.
“Today do my maximum effort I can do,” he said after the race. “Maybe something more than what I can do. So I’m probably empty, also with the numbers.”
Ganna could find no fault with his physical execution. The course’s technical opening and closing sections were demanding, as was the final climb, but he did not believe that was where he lost the title.
“I think the first and the last part were the most technical,” he said. “Also the climb in the final to come back into the finish was a proper deep effort for me, but I don’t think I lost it there. I don't know where we lost the time.”
Asked about another Evenepoel title, Ganna described the repeated experience of getting close without reclaiming the rainbow jersey.
“I think we are getting closer every time to knocking on the door,” he said. “Maybe one day he will come back and open it again.”
Seixas takes bronze as Söderqvist counts the cost of a crash
Seixas put in a stupendous ride, felt he had paced his effort almost perfectly and credited the support around him for helping him make the most of his good form. He was also proud to stand alongside giants of the time trialling discipline.
“Remco is really above everyone. He is a great champion and he is a four-time world champion. That deserves respect,” Seixas told Cycling Pro Net. “Filippo is also a very great champion. I am happy to be alongside these two guys.”
He was thrilled with his own performance but had sympathy for Jakob Söderqvist, who had been ahead of him at the second and third time checks before crashing with less than 3km remaining. The Swede finished fifth.
“I still have this slight bitterness that I finished third because a guy fell and we do not know what might have happened,” Seixas said.
“I think that today I took perhaps a little less risk in the corners, which allowed me to secure this place,” he said. “I did what I had to do, and I am happy with my medal.”
Söderqvist spoke after receiving treatment and said he was “fully okay”, apart from “a bit of lost skin and a bit of lost ego maybe”. Uneven form over the preceding month had left him more confident in his bike handling than his physical condition.
“I knew that I needed to give it every shot to have a chance to compete with the best guys,” he said. “I took a bit more risk than I usually do.”
Isaac del Toro took the opposite approach, riding a controlled effort with limited risk. The Mexican finished sixth on the largely flat route, leaving him happy with his development against the clock.
“It's not my specialty and I'm super happy to keep growing in this kind of TT,” Del Toro said.
Seventh-placed Stefan Küng came into the race off the back of two top-level time trial wins at the Tour de Pologne and La Vuelta but his form had not carried across the Atlantic and he felt he held too much back for the finale. “I wasn't aggressive enough,” Küng said. “I didn't pace it well enough.”
Evenepoel now plans two recovery days followed by two days of intense training before the road race on September 27. He said Sunday's performance had given him “a lot of motivation” for that race.
Seixas also felt encouraged by his condition and hopes to finish higher on the podium, while recognising the different demands of a road race.
“Now we will have to race well and race intelligently,” he said. “There are some very strong riders against me.”
