Evenepoel closes the chapter on his super-2024 with an honest biography: "I can now admit things"

Remco Evenepoel will announce something special on Friday. He will present his biography, Full Gas: Streven(d) naar perfectie. It is a beautiful highlight for the still only 24-year-old double Olympic champion, in which he will open up about himself and his mindset in the sport. "People thought I was arrogant; that's what I was told. Maybe I provoked those reactions myself, I now realize."

In conversation with Het Laatste Nieuws, Evenepoel briefly discussed the book and his character. "At the beginning of my career, I could be a bit intense and tough. People thought I was arrogant. Maybe I provoked those reactions myself, I now realize." The Aerobulet learns more about himself every year and how he enjoys cycling. "My ego no longer prevails. I can now admit that I wasn't good enough to beat Tadej Pogacar, for example. I've changed over the years."

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"I am very ambitious. My standards are pretty high; I do this for myself. It's a choice I make." So, he prefers to perform for his satisfaction rather than for the outside world. "That I strive for perfection? Yes, that is also true. If I want to win races, I can't just do it without putting in effort. If you want to win, you have to work for it; there has to be structure to do that, and there has to be guidance to function within. That's the way it should be. I don't just do something randomly."

How did that develop? Evenepoel has two reasons, and they both relate to his soccer youth. "Maybe it has to do with the fact that I have been playing sports at a high level from a very young age. Right from the beginning, I committed myself, was focused, and wanted to perform." Moreover, he was relatively often on his own during that phase. "I'm an only child; my parents were both hard-working, self-employed people; they didn't look at an hour; they were always working. I learned to make my plan. My strong will must have been growing even then."

Evenepoel's strong ambitions also stand up for the rest of his career. "My primary goal is also my final goal: winning the Tour, the Giro, and the Vuelta. Only then will the circle be complete for me. If I do not achieve everything? Then I will regret it because this is my circle. I have already had a crazy career. Yes, I realize that. But I haven't achieved all my goals as a cyclist yet."