Eddy Merckx, the greatest racer in cycling history, paid tribute and sage advice to newly crowned UCI World Road Race Champion Lemko Evenpoel after he won the elite men's title in a long-distance solo race.

Speaking to Het Laatste Nieuws on Sunday morning, Merckx said that once Evenpoel shook off his most persistent rival, Alexey Lutsenko (Kazakhstan), with 25km to go, the Belgian was a one-way ticket to the rainbow jersey He was convinced that he had it in his hands.

"He was head and shoulders above the rest," Merckx said.

"It was fun to watch. There's nothing better."

Merckx told Het Laatste Nieuws that he watched the race with his son Axel, a former professional and Olympic medalist.

"Axel was already convinced with 50 km to go. I took a little more time. But when Lemko swept past Lutsenko at Mount Pleasant with 25 kilometers to the finish, I knew he was going to be world champion."

After praising the superb overall performance of the Belgian selection in getting Evenpoel to the point where he could attack ideally, Merckx said Evenpoel should "first and foremost" enjoy wearing the rainbow jersey. But he also offered some suggestions for what Evenapoel could do next year, starting with wearing the rainbow jersey at the Tour de France.

"Of course, that's something he has to decide for himself. ...... Tools? But ...... Tools, you say? Why, that's the biggest Grand Tour," Merckx told Het Laatste Nieuws.

Regarding the prospect of Evenpole following in Merckx's footsteps and conquering the five monuments, Merckx added: "I think it's a great thing. So I have to finish Milan - San Remo alone. Paris-Roubaix is not easy either. But maybe at a later age it might be possible."