The sun was already gently slanting over Lake Zurich by the time Remco Evenpole finished his podium ceremony and mixed-zone interview after defending his title in the road world championship time trial.

After safely changing into his rainbow jersey, Evenepoel stepped out of the finish area and into Bellevue Square. As he sat in the passenger seat, a crowd of local fans applauded as he drove away.

The eastern shore of this quiet lake is known as the Gold Coast. It seemed like the perfect place to retain his world title and add to his gold medal collection, but the picture-perfect finale came after a time trial that Evenepoel said was the most difficult of his career.

“It was the hardest time trial of my life,” confessed Evenpoel, who beat Filippo Ganna (ITA) by just six seconds. But in the end, if you want to win, you have to read your body very well.”

The problems began at the start gate. As Evenpoel positioned himself for the 46 km race, his chain came off. A replacement bike was quickly made available, but with 25 seconds to spare, Evenepoel reattached the chain to his original bike, which was decorated in gold.

“My wife has taught me over the years that you can't control what you can't control.

“But it's never good to be so preoccupied with such things before the start.”

Although the immediate crisis was averted, another crisis came almost as soon as Evenpoel rolled down the start ramp and began his efforts. The power meter display was not showing any numbers, and a makeshift attempt to restart the system did not work.

Like many athletes of his generation, Evenpoel has spent his trial life guided by the live data of his power meter and carefully working his way up according to those numbers. Now he was forced to improvise and create a masterpiece. Instead of his usual well-thought-out calibration, Evenpoel threw paint on canvas like Jackson Pollock in order to fight off Ganna and win the gold medal.

“It was a blind time trial, so I don't think it was my best. I think I could have gone faster today, but of course if you don't get a time you don't know what you're doing.”

“In the first kilometer I kept turning the power meter on and off, but it didn't work. Without the numbers it was pretty difficult. I think everyone knows how much I rely on numbers and I had a plan to win the time trial on the climb, but in the end it didn't happen.”

The time trial at this World Championships was essentially in three parts, with a flat opening from the Oerlikon stadium, followed by a steep section in the center and then all the way along the lake shore to the finish. When Evenpole entered the first time check six seconds ahead of Ganna, the world champion looked likely, but the Italian only gained another three seconds on the uphill Wetikon am See, making the future rather uncertain.

Meanwhile, Evenpoel was given a rough overview by national coach Sven Van Torenhout and took enough risks on the descent to the lake shore to build a 19-second lead over Ganna going into the last 9km. However, Ganna pulled away relentlessly in the final kilometers, and by the time Evenpoel crossed the finish line, he was six seconds ahead.

“I think I was lucky that the time trial wasn't 5km longer.

“When you get completely tired on the downhills, you make mistakes or at least not as fast as when you are fresh. I think that's what won me today. I was still a little fresh on the climbs and on the descents I took a lot of risks without braking.”

Still, Evenpoel confessed that when the road flattened out in the finale, he lost his sense of direction again. Instead of relying on power data, this Belgian rider concentrated on staying on top in maximum gear for as long as possible. And again, even with all the technical paraphernalia removed, the basic premise of time trial racing remains the same: it is an exercise in managing suffering. It is an exercise in managing suffering.

“I'm starting to suffer. Usually I'm focused on getting close to 400 watts average output. But here I was trying to stay away from that and find the biggest gear I could and keep the speed up.”

“In terms of pure pacing, it probably wasn't the best time trial of my life, but it was also the most difficult.

Either way, it was enough. Finishing just six seconds behind, Evenpoel even had time to punch the air. But Evenpoel was determined to build on his brilliant season, in which he had reached the podium in his debut Tour de France, to win another title.

Of course, the light from Evenpoel's golden season has not yet gone out. He will return to Switzerland next weekend to try to recapture the road title he won two years ago in Wollongong. Tadej Pogachar (Slovenia) is the favorite to win, but after Sunday's results, there is no reason to be discouraged by Evenpoel.

“Winning this jersey again allows me to live a little more relaxed for next Sunday,” Evenpoel said.

“It takes a little bit of the pressure off. The legs are strong. I think I can still improve a little bit for next Sunday, like I did at the Olympics.” [Unlimited access to all coverage of the 2024 UCI Road World Championships, including breaking news and analysis from local journalists, including junior, under-23 and elite time trials and road races. Details.

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