Remco Evenepoel does not need a start house to go fast. The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider was out on a Specialized photoshoot ride on Tuesday when he erased an eight-year-old Strava King of the Mountain record on one of Los Angeles’s most popular segments.
According to IDL Pro Cycling, Evenepoel covered the 27.69km Double Reservoir Loop in 40 minutes and 18 seconds, 23 seconds quicker than the benchmark that had stood untouched since 2018. His average speed for the segment was just over 40 km/h, and the full ride measured close to 34km.
He was not racing. He was doing sponsor work. The only hint on his Strava upload that he had done something unusual was a single sweating-smile emoji.
A King of the Mountain, or KOM, is the fastest recorded time any Strava user has set on a defined stretch of road or trail. The Double Reservoir Loop is one of the most trafficked road segments in the city.
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A trip built around Specialized
Evenepoel has been in California since Saturday 24 October, combining sponsor duties with aerodynamic work at Specialized’s wind tunnel and an early look at the 2028 Olympic time trial course. His first weekend also included a 48km Specialized social ride in Santa Monica with Demi Vollering, who rides Specialized equipment at FDJ United-SUEZ, and a Lakers-Clippers NBA game on the opening weekend of the 2026/27 season, Cycling Up To Date reported.
The Belgian has a lifetime partnership with Specialized and remains the reigning Olympic time trial champion.
Sunday’s 65km road-bike recon
Two days before the KOM, Evenepoel ran a dedicated reconnaissance of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic time trial course. Velora Cycling reports he covered 65.34km with 614 meters of climbing in 2 hours, 16 minutes and 10 seconds on Sunday 25 October, uploading the file to Strava under the title “LA 2028 ITT RECON.” He rode his Specialized Tarmac SL 9 road bike rather than a time trial machine.
The course is expected to start near the Los Angeles Zoo and finish at Griffith Observatory with a closing climb of about 2km at an average gradient of 7 percent. LA28 has said full route details will be published later in 2026.
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The Olympic men’s time trial is scheduled for 19 July 2028.
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