Olympics: Remco Evenepoel dominates men's road race and wins second gold
Remco Evenepoel won the men's road race at the Olympic Games in Paris on Saturday. The 24-year-old rode solo to the gold medal despite suffering a puncture in the final kilometres of the race. France's Valentin Madouas and Christophe Laporte took silver and bronze respectively.
Evenepoel chose his moment carefully, breaking away from the peloton and closing the gap with the lead group on his own. The world time trial champion then accelerated on the second Montmartre climb, leaving everyone but Madouas behind.
With 15km to go, Evenepoel dropped the Frenchman as well, setting the stage for his second gold medal in Paris. His lead was so great that even a puncture and a bike change in the final kilometres could not prevent him from becoming Olympic champion. He finished over a minute ahead of runner-up Madouas and third-placed Laporte.
Legendary performance
Taken with his gold medal on Saturday, it is hard to overstate how impressive Evenepoel's performance in Paris was. He is the first Belgian since 1920 to win two gold medals in two different disciplines. He also made cycling history by becoming the first cyclist to win both the time trial and road race at the same Olympic Games.
At just 24, Evenepoel has won more than most cyclists can dream of. In addition to his Olympic medals, he has won two world championships, the Vuelta de España and Liège-Bastogne-Liège twice. This year, he finished third in the Tour de France.
He could add two more titles to that list next month in Zurich, Switzerland, where the road and time trial world championships will be held.
Remco Evenepoel at the finish line of the road race in Paris © PHOTO ODD ANDERSEN / AFP
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