REMCO EVENEPOEL could have lined up for Belgium at Euro 2024, but instead he is preparing to win the Tour de France.
The 24-year-old has never participated in cyclingthe greatest race rather, he is still one of the favorites for this year’s competition.
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He should be neck and neck with previous winners Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, but could have played with some of his former teammates in the Germany.
Evenepoel was a talented young player and spent time in the academies of Anderlecht and PSV Eindhoven before dropping out to focus on cycling.
He also represented Belgium in different youth groups, captaining the U16 team.
Evenepoel impressed from an early age with his incredible fitness levels, a particular trait that stands out, but what shined most was his professionalism and mentality.
He played alongside the Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga at Anderlecht, who believes Evenepoel’s fitness regime as a teenager may have served his cycling career well.
Lokonga said Atlético: “He was a year below me, but sometimes the players from 1999 and 2000 trained together, so he trained with me.
“It’s crazy what he did. I know that when he was young, when we had to race up and down, he was already one of the best, so that maybe helped with the distances you cover as a cyclist.”
Evenepoel was recording stress test results comparable to those of a triathlete when he was in the U10 category, with one former coach comparing his “incredible endurance” to a motorbike.
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The 2022 Vuelta a Espana winner himself said his engine was a big factor in his soccer skill, saying: “My playing style was a bit similar to the way I ride a bike.
“I had a big engine and tried to cover every blade of grass.”
Evenepoel was a prolific winner from the start of his cycling career, becoming world road race champion at the age of 22 before winning the world time trial a year later.
His professionalism has been exemplary and is a characteristic that the Belgian acquired as a teenager, which earned him the role of captain of the national team.
Belgium U16 coach Bob Browaeys told The Athletic: “I spoke to him many times in that role.
“And I was always intrigued. He was so professional at such a young age; just 15 years old, talking about his preparation for the games, for his career. He was special. Unusual.
“He was at the highest level, I have never had a player with a high performance mentality. That was unbelievable.”
He even became Anderlecht coach Stephane Stassin’s right-hand man and had a great influence on his other teammates.
Stassin recalled in an interview with Cycling Weekly: “In the older age groups, you are the coach’s right-hand man, but that’s not always easy with youth teams because they are so young.
“Remco, however, was the exception: he was effectively the coach’s right-hand man and talked to his teammates. When I asked him to do something, sometimes he would say that he had already talked to his teammates and agreed what was necessary.”
Evenepoel began his football career as a midfielder, but lacked tactical intelligence, so was moved to left-back shortly before giving up completely.
He once played alongside Manchester City and Belgian star Jeremy Doku like this RB Leipzig defender Lois Openda, but as his peers surpassed him technically, Evenepoel found himself at a disadvantage, before abandoning football permanently.
He told cycling podcast Lanterne Rouge: “I was captain of the national team, then they put me on the bench and I started to ask myself: ‘Is it worth continuing?’.
“Then I wasn’t even on the bench anymore. I just wasn’t in the top 15 players. Then I really started to hate the sport.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
