Remco Evenepoel World Championship history in Kigali
On September 21, 2025, the city of Kigali in Rwanda hosted the World Road Cycling Championship, the first time this major global event took place in Africa. In the Men’s Individual Time Trial (ITT) race, Remco Evenepoel, a 25-year-old Belgian rider, won the gold medal ahead of big names like Tadej Pogačar.
This victory was another chapter in the remarkable Remco Evenepoel World Championship history, a story that began far away from cycling.
Who is Remco Evenepoel?
Remco is the son of Agna and Patrick Evenepoel, his father once a professional cyclist himself. But young Remco’s first passion was not cycling — it was football.
As a boy, he played for R.S.C. Anderlecht and later joined PSV Eindhoven before returning to Anderlecht. He played as a defensive midfielder and was even selected for Belgium’s under-15 and under-16 national teams. Coaches admired his leadership, and he often captained his squads.
But everything changed in 2016. A serious injury ended his football hopes, and Anderlecht released him. At 16, Remco began thinking of quitting sports completely. Instead, he chose to follow his father’s path — cycling.
From football field to cycling road
When he switched sports, things were not easy. In his first 10 cycling races, Remco crashed out in nine of them. But he did not give up.
In 2018, he won both the European Junior Road Championships and the Junior World Championships in ITT and Road Race. His dominance was so clear that in one race, he finished nearly 10 minutes ahead of the second-place rider.
Soon after, he signed with the professional team Deceuninck Quick-Step (now Soudal-Quick Step) without even racing at the under-23 level. His career was moving fast.
Breaking records and making history
Remco’s rise has been spectacular:
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Won Tour of Belgium (2019) and Clásica de San Sebastián.
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Became European Champion in 2019.
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Collected multiple World Championship ITT titles in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
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Claimed victory at the La Vuelta a España 2022, becoming the first Belgian to win since 1978.
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Double winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège (2022 and 2023).
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Olympic Gold Medalist (2024) in both ITT and Road Race.
Now, with three straight ITT World Championship wins, he stands alongside greats like Michael Rogers and Tony Martin. Only one more win would tie the legendary Fabian Cancellara’s record of four.
Why his win in Kigali matters
Remco’s win in Rwanda is more than just another medal. It shows how cycling is growing in Africa, giving young African riders hope to follow in his footsteps. Hosting the World Road Cycling Championship in Kigali also highlights Rwanda’s ambition to be a sporting hub on the continent.
For Remco, it is another step in a career that started with football dreams but turned into cycling greatness.
