Evenepoel (with mustache!) powers through a Tour of Flanders training, while Pogacar nearly grabs the KOM on Jebel Hafeet despite strong headwinds

Remco Evenepoel is still recovering from his terrible accident during training in December, but at least he can train again. He recently took his first steps on a racing bike, and he made more progress last Friday. Meanwhile, Tadej Pogacar showed off his skills on Strava in the UAE Tour, where he rode nearly a record on Jebel Hafeet under very tough conditions.

On February 7, Evenepoel was seen on his bike again for the first time, where he covered a distance of about 40 kilometers, also returning to the crash site. Last week, he was able to record his first ride of over 100 kilometers, but a few days later, he added a few more kilometers. On Friday, he completed a bike ride of 164 kilometers on the Flemish roads. This included the famous cobblestone hills in that area: the Knokteberg, Kruisberg, Hotond, Kanarieberg, you name it.

As if that were not enough, he tackled the Wall of Geraardsbergen. This was no ordinary ride for the two-time Olympic champion, who covered almost 2000 meters of altitude over 164 kilometers. He completed the ride in nearly five hours, good for an average of 33.3 kilometers per hour. And that while the wind also played a significant role. Meanwhile, the Belgian showed up on Instagram with new facial adornment: the 25-year-old time trial rider took the opportunity to grow a mustache, which he showed off during a shoot for an advertisement.

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Pogi extremely fast on (first part of) Jebel Hafeet

Where Evenepoel rode in 6 degrees Celsius, Pogacar faced a whopping 30 degrees. On Sunday, the Slovenian won the final stage of the UAE Tour and also took the overall win. With a grand display of power, he broke away from his competitors, who were all forced to let the world champion go at 7.5 kilometers. He set off on his own in search of an incredible achievement, coming dangerously close to Evenepoel's climbing record—and that with a headwind.

In the end, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader slowed the pace in the final kilometers. The record disappeared, but he still recorded the seventh fastest time ever on the climb, according to Strava. He reached the top in 26:26 minutes, still three-quarters of a minute slower than Evenepoel. But what is truly impressive is that he rode the first 8.5 kilometers of the climb in the second-fastest time ever. He was only three seconds slower than the record time of Evenepoel. And that without any real climbers to lead him up the mountain. The competition can brace themselves for the rest of the season because, once again, Pogi is unstoppable.

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