Merckx and Belgium dub Evenepoel: “Each generation has its best, let it reign over its own”

There is not always need for a very long ceremony repeated with a chalk line to mark a change of crowned head.

In Belgian cycling, a few hours and a powerful acceleration can be enough to ride on the order of succession, steal a scepter and impose yourself in force in front of another contender.

The enormous number in Australia of Remco Evenepoel, to offer himself a first rainbow jersey at 22, conceals in him the promise of a hyphen.

In a country that has been nourished for decades by its linguistic or cultural divisions, cycling, the king sport across the Quiévrain, was necessarily at the forefront of internal disputes.

Subscribe to read more

Already subscribed?

To log in