From football talent to superstar on the bike

Remco Evenepoel is still young, but already a superstar in the cycling scene. The overall Vuelta victory is his greatest success to date. In Belgium, Evenepoel is already being compared to the eternal legend Eddy Merckx. Originally he didn't want to be a cyclist, but rather a professional footballer.

PSV, Anderlecht and Mechelen were Evenepoel's youth careers as a footballer. He played 5 junior international matches as a left-back for Belgium before he was no longer good enough for Anderlecht officials in the winter of 2017. Evenepoel, who was previously captain of the U17, was told that it would not be enough for him to become a professional. Frustrated by this news, the young soccer talent immediately hung up his shoes and started cycling. Horror accident: During the Tour of Lombardy, the Belgian was seriously injured after falling over a bridge. © APA/afp / MARCO BERTORELLO

Just a year and a half later, Evenepoel celebrated his first major success on the bike. In September 2018 he was crowned junior world champion in the time trial and road race. This was followed by victories in the big races (including the extremely demanding one-day race Clasica San Sebastian) and he became runner-up in the time trial. The path to a golden career was abruptly stopped in 2020. During the Tour of Lombardy, Evenepoel fell over a bridge. The result: a fractured pelvis and a bruised lung. The entire cycling world was worried about the continuation of his career. Evenepoel took a break for almost a year and had great difficulty getting back into the swing of things after his comeback. Arriving at the top of the world: Remco Evenepoel. © APA/afp / OSCAR DEL POZO

Evenepoel is now where cycling experts have long seen him – namely at the top of the world. The overall Vuelta victory was of course also aided by the retirement of top favorite Primoz Roglic (he has already won the Vuelta three times). And yet: Anyone who can go from footballer to cycling superstar in a very short space of time must have one thing above all else: a lot of talent.

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From football talent to superstar on the bike

The Vuelta triumph of Remco Evenepoel (22) redeemed an entire cycling nation. No Belgian had won a major tour for 44 years. Five years ago, Evenepoel was still facing a career as a footballer.

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