Evenepoel victorious despite chain problems at start: "Toughest time trial of my life"

Extending his title and the double World Championship-Olympics, it's another incredible year for Remco Evenepoel. The Belgian won the World Championships time trial in Zurich, but it didn't come easy. Besides, bad luck just before the start almost shook up things.

Evenepoel cannot yet comprehend that he may call himself world and Olympic champion. "It's unbelievable. It took me a while again to feel good and to find the good form, but I was ready in time," he said in the flash interview. "It was a tough day, and my chain fell off a minute before the start. After that, I didn't have a power meter, so it was a time trial on instinct."

So, thanks to missing his power meter, the 24-year-old Soudal Quick-Step rider had to guess a bit. "It was hard for me in the last two, three kilometers. I went full-on the last bit uphill and on the descent. Keeping my pace without the power meter was hard, but that is less important in a time trial championship. I saw my time in the green so I could celebrate."

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"After the descent, I felt oxygen in the legs again"

And he did: Evenepoel could cheer even before the finish. "It's rare. As I said, I felt good at the start but weaker in the middle of the climb. After the descent, I felt some oxygen in my legs again. It was hard because I had to push, but I didn't know exactly what I was doing. It might be the toughest time trial of my life. If you want to win, you have to listen to your body. Things can happen; I won in the end." Although competitor Filippo Ganna came dangerously close to Evenepoel with a solid final stretch, the defending champion eventually held on for six seconds.