Summer Games in Paris “Magnificent”: Cycling king Evenepoel writes Olympic history
Evenepoel enjoys Olympic victory Photo
© Dar Yasin/AP
He already has gold in the time trial – and in the road race Remco Evenepoel is just following suit. That has never happened before. The Belgian prodigy has won almost everything at just 24 years old.
Remco Evenepoel got off his bike, spread both arms and looked up into the grey Parisian sky in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. With a historic triumph, the cycling prodigy crowned himself a two-time Olympic champion in Paris, beat a record set by Jan Ullrich and has already achieved almost everything at just 24 years of age. “Simply fantastic,” said Maximilian Schachmann in amazement. Nils Politt from Berlin and Cologne played no role in the medal awarding.
The focus was solely on Evenepoel, who will reportedly ride for the German team Red Bull next year. A week after his triumph in the individual time trial, the Belgian also won the road race. No one had ever achieved that before. As a bonus, he replaced Ullrich, who was successful in 2000, as the youngest Olympic champion.
Even a defect just over three kilometers from the finish, at the world-famous Louvre of all places, did not stop Evenepoel. After 273 kilometers and the longest race in Olympic history, he was over a minute ahead of the other medal winners Valentin Madouas and Christophe Laporte from France.
Politt heralds the finale
Politt opened the spectacular finale with an attack around 60 kilometers from the finish and broke away with five others. But after a brutal attack by world champion Mathieu van der Poel during the first crossing of the Monmartre climb to the Sacré-Cœur, the leading riders caught up – and Politt’s strength failed him a good 30 kilometers from the finish.
Only 90 riders set off from the Eiffel Tower in the morning to the southwest of Paris. Germany was represented by only two professionals, the top nations such as Belgium by four riders. The small team size made it difficult to control the race – and this gave outsiders the chance to show what they could do. Riders from Rwanda, Uganda, Thailand, Morocco and Mauritius broke away in Paris, gaining a lead of no more than 15 minutes.
The route – a mixture of the hilly World Cup courses in Leuven and Glasgow – only had 2800 metres of elevation, but the flat sections outside the French capital were limited. Most of the riders knew the roads and a total of 13 climbs from the spring long-distance Paris-Nice race, which starts in the region.
Under the dictate of the pace of the teams from Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands, the breakaway riders were caught 72 kilometers from the finish and the decisive phase of the race began before the return to Paris. However, things really got going on the final laps, with the three-time crossing of the 6.5 percent steep Montmartre climb.
Hopes on the track
The German Cycling Association (BDR) only has a chance of winning a medal on the road on Sunday in the women’s race. The trio Franziska Koch, Antonia Niedermaier and Liane Lippert can certainly count themselves among the medal contenders in the 158-kilometer race. However, the favorites for gold are others: Lotte Kopecky from Belgium, the Italian Elisa Longo Borghini and the Dutch Lorena Wiebes.
The BDR’s greatest hopes are on the track anyway. Sprinters Emma Hinze, Lea Sophie Friedrich and Pauline Grabosch are expected to win at least one medal. Despite their Olympic victory in Tokyo, the women’s foursome is not among the gold medal contenders, but a medal is not impossible.
dpa
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