Evenepoel wins fourth consecutive world time trial title as Vacek's Montreal race falls apart

At the UCI Road World Championships in Montreal, Canada, Belgium's Remco Evenepoel claimed his fourth straight world title in the individual time trial, leaving his rivals with no chance whatsoever. Czech rider Matěj Vacek, who had hoped for a top-10 finish and even dreamed of a medal, could only manage 29th place, crossing the line almost three minutes behind the winner.

The flat 39.2-kilometre course proved a disappointment for the Czech: he was sitting in twelfth after the first checkpoint but quickly began sliding down the standings. "It was extremely tough. There was nowhere to recover. I gave everything I had and left it all out on the course, but towards the end I started to fade — my legs had nothing left. I wanted to fight for the podium, but unfortunately it didn't work out. I'm a bit disappointed, but maybe next time," Vacek admitted.

Drama in the fight for medals

Vacek's Lidl-Trek teammate, Sweden's Jakob Söderqvist, very nearly emerged as the surprise hero of the race. At the recent ZLM Tour in the Netherlands, he had finished 25 seconds behind his Czech teammate, but at the World Championships he was riding the best time trial of his career. After the second checkpoint, Söderqvist was sitting in second place and in contention for a medal that would have been Sweden's first in the discipline in 17 years.

With less than four kilometres to go, however, the Swede misjudged a left-hand bend and crashed. He ultimately finished fifth. The vacant spot on the podium went to 19-year-old Frenchman Séchaz, who claimed bronze. Silver, just as in 2023 and 2024, went to Italian time-trial specialist Filippo Ganna, who started tenth on the opening section but steadily built up speed and overtook nearly all his rivals.

A fourth title in a row

Evenepoel was flawless from the very start, living up to his billing as the overwhelming favourite. "I went out a little too hard at the beginning, but I still felt great. It was quite a fast time trial," the 26-year-old Belgian said with a smile. He has now claimed a record fourth consecutive world time trial title.

"It's an amazing feeling. I came here to win, and this fourth victory is a huge motivation for me," the rider said. In a week's time, Evenepoel will also be the top favourite for the road race — with injured Slovenian Tadej Pogačar out of the running, he could repeat his 2022 triumph. "Now I have time to rest a little and enjoy this win. From Tuesday I'll start preparing again," he added.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz