Remco Evenepoel may have delayed his victorious homecoming after his recent World Championships and Vuelta wins but that dampen the party when it finally got underway today. The 22-year-old was celebrated in his home region and also in the main square in Brussels, where thousands of fans turned out to honour him.
Evenepoel claimed victory in La Vuelta with his QuickStep-Alpha Vinyl team two weeks ago and last weekend he followed up that Grand Tour success with a dominant win in the elite men's race at the UCI World Road Championships in Wollongong, Australia.
The new world champion put his Vuelta celebrations on hold when he flew directly from Madrid to Australia the day after sealing overall victory in the Spanish race. And when he went on to claim gold last Sunday at the worlds, the Evenepoel frenzy in Belgium intensified ever further.
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The man of the moment started his day today with a morning ride of just over 50km before a ceremony in the municipality of Dilbeek where he grew up. He was bestowed honorary citizenship of Dilbeek in front of a large and enthusiastic home crowd.
Evenepoel and his entourage then made the short trip to Brussels - by car and followed by lots of fans on bikes - where the main reception of the day was held in Grote Markt. In scenes reminiscent of Jonas Vingegaard's triumphant homecoming in Copenhagen after his Tour de France win, Evenepoel took in the crowds from a balcony above the packed main square.
Evenepoel will ride Binche-Chimay-Binche on Tuesday, where he will debut his new world champion's kit in a race which is set to be his last competitive outing of the season. While already having achieved much success before the 2022 season began, this year he has won La Vuelta, been crowned world champion and won Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa, the Belgian TT title, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Norway, among 16 victories.
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#Bruselas y @EvenepoelRemco 🌈🥇 #Evenepoel pic.twitter.com/iNAL1toF1h
— Enrique Gílmas 🇪🇺 (@HenryOt96) October 2, 2022
