A rainbow in black-yellow-red: reigning world champion Remco Evenepoel became Belgian champion, imitated by Tadej Pogacar, titled for the first time in Slovenia, a week before the start of the Tour de France.
On the flat course of Izegem, a priori favorable to sprinters, Remco Evenepoel won the prestigious duel opposing him to his great rival Wout Van Aert. The reigning world champion won in the sprint ahead of his breakaway companion, the young (20) Alec Segaert, already vice-champion of Belgium in the time trial on Thursday. Evenepoel, who had fallen during this event against the clock won in Herzele by… Van Aert, therefore took a resounding revenge. Forced to retire due to a Covid-19 infection during the Tour of Italy of which he was the leader, the prodigy of the Soudal-Quick Step formation confirmed his return to the fore after, also, his victory of stage ten days ago at the Tour de Suisse.
Four days after winning the “national” time trial (five minutes ahead of his runner-up!) where he made his return to competition after his fall in April and his broken wrist, Tadej Pogacar also won in the online race. The double winner of the Tour de France (2020, 2021) crossed the line alone ahead of Luka Mezgec and Matej Mohoric to win his first national title in the specialty. Seven days before the start of the Tour in Bilbao while his rival, the Dane Jonas Vingegaard, did not participate in his national championship.
Favorite of the Dutch event on a route that favored his qualities as a puncher, Mathieu van der Poel was trapped by the Jumbo-Visma team race. The recent winner of the Tour of Belgium settled for the bronze medal behind the “Jumbo” Dylan van Baarle and Olav Kooij who attacked him in turn in the final of the Dutch Brabant circuit taking some roads of the Amstel Gold Race. Dylan van Baarle, winner of Paris-Roubaix in 2022, adds a line to a list that also mentions successes at the Nieuwsblad (2023) and in A travers la Flandre (2021).
The Breton Valentin Madouas signed the sixth success, and the most significant, of his career by concluding the impressive collective work of the Groupama-FDJ formation in Cassel, in the North. This victory is a consecration for the “Breton Tractor”, capable of a third place in the Tour of Flanders last year. Julian Alaphilippe, tipped to be the big favourite, finally dropped out 96 kilometers from the finish before giving up.
Oier Lazkano narrowly beat the promising Juan Ayuso (20), a month after winning the Boucles de la Mayenne. The 23-year-old Basque had revealed himself at the start of the season by taking second place in Through Flanders.
The main national champions:
Germany: Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe)
Author: Gregor Mühlberger (Movistar)
Belgium: Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step)
Denmark: Mattias Skjelmose (Trek-Segafredo)
Spain: Oier Lazkano (Movistar)
France: Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ)
Italie: Simone Velasco (Astana)
Ireland: Ben Healy (EF Education)
Kazakhstan: Alexey Lutsenko (Astana)
Luxembourg: Alex Kirsch (Trek Segafredo)
Norway: Fredrik Dvernes (Uno-X)
Pays-Bas: Dylan van Baarle (Jumbo-Visma)
Portugal: Ivo Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates)
Turnip. tchèque: Mathias Vacek (Trek-Segafredo)
Slovakia: Matus Stocek (ITT)
Slovenia: Tadej Pogacar (UEA Team Emirates)
Suisse: Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates)
