🎥 Evenepoel and Van Aert on special messages, Games premium, mutual bond, and (no) questions to the King

Belgium immediately triumphed at the Olympics on Saturday, thanks to Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert. Evenepoel won the Olympic time trial in Paris, and Van Aert completed the celebration with a bronze medal. Afterward, the two medalists participated in the Medal Shuttle, which the Belgian federation posted on YouTube. 

The two cyclists are due to show up again on Saturday for the Olympic road race but wanted to visit the Belgium House anyway after their performance in the time trial. "It's a unique moment, and I think we both realized that. We didn't have to think about that for too long," Van Aert pointed out. "Evenepoel responded with a joke. Wout was seriously hungry after the race," he laughed.

The Belgian King was also present at the time trial, about whom Evenepoel shared a funny anecdote. "Apparently, you're not allowed to ask anything, but I asked questions constantly. Did you have fun? Was it fun? Are you proud of us?" laughed Evenepoel, whom Van Aert complimented. "I was thinking constantly that I wasn't allowed to ask anything. It was an enjoyable introduction."

The interviewer on duty asked about the bond between the two riders, who described the moment on the Olympic podium as extraordinary. "We send more and more messages to each other. We also underwent a similar course, with heavy falls at key moments. It was the same this year. We have the same kind (physical therapist, ed.), so that bond is getting stronger. There is always mutual respect anyway," Evenepoel said.

In the so-called Medal Shuttle, the two also got time to check their phones. "I haven't even had five minutes to look at my cell phone, but the first message I see now is from my wife: Have you got your phone back yet?" laughed Van Aert. Evenepoel received a message from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. "He sent: nicely done," the ex-soccer player said.

Their achievements in Paris also earned them two serious bonuses. "I think it was 50,000 euros for a gold medal and 20,000 or 15,000 euros for a bronze," Van Aert informed. "At the previous Games in Tokyo, I shared the premium for the silver medal in the road race with my teammates and gave my staff members the one for my Olympic diploma in the time trial. You see that more often anyway, that it is shared. You have enough credit for yourself," the Visma | Lease a Bike rider looks back at his bronze medal.

On Saturday, the two will work together on the road race. "We have been racing long enough to know you need the team to win. All four of us make each other stronger, we realize that," stated Van Aert, who will take his place in the Olympic village along with the Belgian riders. "I hope to bump into some superstar. Who? Wout van Aert," Evenepoel jokes. "I want to bump into Rafael Nadal (now eliminated, ed.)." Van Aert: "Then I think of names from my youth, like Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I am very much looking forward to the Olympic Village."

Video: Evenepoel and Van Aert chat peacefully in Medal Shuttle