Only one rider broke 45 minutes on the 39.2km course in Montreal, and it was the one everyone had been waiting for. Evenepoel stopped the clock at 44:53, beating Filippo Ganna by 57 seconds, with Paul Seixas of France third at 1:13.
The 26-year-old Belgian is now level with Fabian Cancellara and Tony Martin at four elite men’s world time trial titles. Neither of them won four in a row.
‘A wonderful feeling all day’
Evenepoel already knew he had it inside the opening kilometers.
“Honestly, after 6k, we had a personal time check and I knew that I was already in front of the rest,” he told reporters at the finish.
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“I thought at the first intermediate, I kind of over-paced, but I just could keep pushing and I must say that I’ve just had a wonderful feeling all day.”
The 39.2km loop was not a pure power course. A technical start and finish framed a fast middle section, and Evenepoel said afterwards that the combination suited his complete package rather than one single strength.
The Worlds double no man has ever done
The elite men’s individual time trial was added to the Worlds program in 1994, when Chris Boardman won the inaugural edition in Sicily. Every year since, one line has not moved: no man has ever won the TT and the road race at the same World Championships.
Pez Cycling News counted 32 opportunities. None of them has produced a double.
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That is the reason Evenepoel spent almost none of his post-race interview talking about the ride he had just won.
“It’s a pretty good start to the Worlds,” he told reporters after crossing the line.
“There’s some time to rest and enjoy this, then full focus on Sunday from Tuesday on.”
Sunday’s route
The elite men’s road race rolls out from Brossard on Sunday, September 27, crosses the Samuel de Champlain bridge into Montreal, then takes on 12 laps of the Mont-Royal circuit before finishing on Avenue du Parc. BikeRadar puts the full distance at 273.7km with 3,803m of climbing.
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That profile stacks short, sharp climbing rather than sustained mountains, and Evenepoel is on almost every preview shortlist. He will not be the only Belgian option: Wout van Aert is also selected.
The peloton is set to roll out at 9am local time.
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