The Malta Independent on Sunday
Remco Evenepoel of Belgium becomes the first to sweep the Olympic road race and time trial
The only things that slowed Remco Evenepoel on his way to Olympic history were a flat tire and the finish line.
The Belgian cyclist has become the first rider to sweep the road race and time trial at the Summer Games, relentlessly attacking over three climbs of Montmartre and building such a lead on the run‐in to the finish at the Pont d'Iéna that Evenepoel was able to swap out bikes in the final kilometers and still begin his celebration early.
He raised his arms in triumph as he crossed the bridge over the River Seine on Saturday, stopping a foot or two past the finish line to soak in the cheers, the Eiffel Tower providing one last picturesque backdrop to the road race at the Paris Games.
Valentin Madouas, who tried to keep pace with him late in the race, held on for silver as French countryman Christophe Laporte took bronze from a group that in‐ cluded Matteo Jorgensen of the
U.S., Ben Healy of Ireland and Marco Haller of Austria.
The longest Olympic road race in history had been a sleepy affair until a series of attacks near the end, when Evenepoel finally made his move. But it became high drama when he was passing in front of the Louvre and his tire began to go down.
The 24‐year‐old from Flanders threw up his hand for help, dis‐ mounted quickly and began to scream for his team to get his spare bike. It was ready in a matter of seconds, and Evenepoel was back on his way to a historic sec‐ ond gold medal.
The win capped a spectacular few weeks for Evenepoel that began with a third‐place finish in the Tour de France.
The early breakaway of five rid‐ ers formed quickly Saturday after the neutralized start from the Tro‐ cadéro, where fans gathered in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower to see them off. With no real threats among them, the peloton was con‐ tent allowing the break to build a sizeable gap of more than 14 min‐ utes as the riders headed off into the French countryside.
The race favorites, led by Math‐ ieu van der Poel of the Nether‐ lands and Belgian rival Wout van Aert, attacked on the first of the Montmartre climbs, where thou‐ sands of flag‐waving fans standing shoulder‐to‐shoulder had waited for hours on the steps of the white stone basilica of Sacre Coeur to see what everyone expected to be the defining moment of the race.
Evenepoel gave them a show to remember.
He bridged across to the leading group with an incredible display of power, worked briefly with Madouas and then left the French‐ man behind. Evenepoel quickly opened a gap of nearly a minute by the last of the Montmartre climbs, a time buffer that ultimately came in handy when his tire began to go down right in front of the Louvre.