The story behind Evenepoel beating van Aert and pointing to the sky: "That was very emotional"

Evenepoel had done everything he could in his first race of 2025 to drop his opponents, but van Aert managed to hang on and keep up with him. It came down to a sprint, and a year ago, van Aert would undoubtedly have turned that into a win. Not this time, because in addition to the fact that Van Aert seemed to have somewhat lost his sprinting legs, he was simply left behind in the final by the attacking Evenepoel.

According to the winner, it was the only option to win. "This is amazing. I already knew I was in pretty good shape in the last few days, but when you find yourself alone with Wout early on, he's in such good form. To beat him in a sprint on this course, which isn't my thing, feels amazing. I rode in the lead for the last two kilometers and thought I'd lost, but you always have to sprint for it."

Evenepoel seized a small opportunity and made the most of it, partly because he hoped that luck would be on his side. “I was confident after a tough race, knowing that my sprint is always the same and that I've become more explosive in recent years. Of course, I wasn't sure against Wout, who has won a lot of bunch sprints. But you always have to try, and I proved that here with the victory.”

Ahead of his comeback in the Brabantse Pijl, Evenepoel said that he had been through an incredibly tough period. He even considered quitting, but he is glad to be back. "I surprised myself, of course. I had some bad days in training, but the last few weeks at altitude in the Sierra Nevada with the team boosted my confidence, and I felt I was improving. The high-intensity training went well, but winning at your comeback is always difficult."

Evenepoel proved once again that he is a phenomenon. And then there is still the Amstel Gold Race, the Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège to come. "I have to thank my father, who pushed me to the limit during the last two training sessions behind his moped, and it paid off. It's incredible to start the season with a victory like this. I've trained a lot here in the region to perform well here. That has also paid off. This gives me confidence for what's to come; it's great. I'm back."

On top of that, Evenepoel felt ready and motivated to compete for the win. "During training, my heart rate went up to 190, but today it reached 200. So I feel fit. This was a nice gift to give back to all the fans along the road, my friends and family, and my parents' best friend, who recently passed away. He usually comes to the races, but today, his wife and son were there for the first time without him. It meant a lot to give them a hug after the finish. This one was for Pascal."