The Belgian prodigy has long been lauded a star of the sport, but he emerged with the biggest victory of his young career at Liège–Bastogne–Liège, attacking on the Côte de La Redoute, passing the remnants of the early breakaway, then holding off an elite group of chasers to win the race.
Evenepoel was overcome at the finish, saluting a rapturous crowd before being hugged by team staff and family, then breaking into tears. It was a more composed Evenepoel at the post-race interview when he talked of what the race win meant to him.
“It was amazing. It was really hard and with the headwind it was really difficult to keep pushing but I knew that everybody had been suffering the whole day," said Evenepoel. "It was quite a hard day and a long day as well. I think today was maybe my best day on the bike, maybe ever. It was the perfect day to have the best day on the bike.
“I have been suffering mentally and physically for the last year and a half. Finally this year I feel that everything is going well and everything is getting stable and I’m getting to the best Remco as well. I think this is the best Remco since turning pro so I’m really happy and proud to win this race."
It was a mixed chase from behind the lone leader, at times cohesive and committed, at others prone to lapsing and being split by attacks. It came down to a reduced bunch sprint for second, 48 seconds behind the winner, with Quinten Hermans (Intermarche Wanty Gobert Materiaux) showing strength to claim his first monument podium finish ahead of Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma).
An early break of 11 riders was to dominate the day's racing with a lead that got out to six minutes before Bahrain Victorious went to the head of the peloton to keep a strong tempo.
Riders jostling for position on the narrow roads of the Wallonia region took their toll with 60 kilometres to go, as a movement in the peloton and a touch of wheels saw a massive crash on a fast descent, with most of the peloton caught up in the crash.
Many riders abandoned the race, with Julien Alaphilippe (QuickStep Alpha Vinyl) taken away in an ambulance, with French media reporting that he was conscious while being examined. The crash prompted a brief slow to proceedings and a re-grouping of the main bunch, but then the race was back on in earnest as the main ascents of the day approached.
The lead into the Côte de Desnie and the Côte de la Redoute saw a number of riders try their luck from the second-tier of favourites as teams tried to anticipate the moves of the big names. Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) was the longest-lived of these attacks, but he was swept up on the run into the Côte de la Redoute.
Evenepoel made his move as the peloton approached the top of the famous climb, forcing his way clear of the group of favourites. He caught and quickly dropped Paul Ourselin (Total Energies) as he set off in pursuit of the lone leader, Bruno Armirail (Groupama-FDJ), himself attacking clear of the breakaway on the Côte de La Redoute.
Armirail had a 50 second lead over the top of the climb, but it wasn't to last long as he was swept up by Evenepoel, holding onto his wheel until the final named ascent of the race, the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, with 14km remaining.
Evenepoel had a lead of 32 seconds at the base of the climb, one that extended before pace-making from Bahrain Victorious's Jack Haig and Movistar's Enric Mas brought the gap down.
Further attacks on an uncategorised ascent with 11 kilometres left saw Evenepoel's lead shrink to just 18 seconds as a trio of Alexsandr Vlasov (BORA-hansgrohe), Sergio Higuita (BORA-hansgrohe) and Dylan Teuns (Bahrain Victorious) emerged the strongest of the remaining climbers.
Their momentum ebbed however and Evenepoel's lead blew back out as riders caught back on to the chasers, and it quickly became apparent that the pursuers were thinking more about second place that the faint hope of winning.
That suited Evenepoel, and he started celebrating three kilometres from the line with fist pumps, before soaking in the bumper crowd at the finish line in Liège.
Hermans surprised many by sprinting to second, while Wout van Aert confirmed that it would be an all-Belgian podium at Liège–Bastogne–Liège for the first time since 1976.
The classics continue with Eschborn-Frankfurt this Sunday on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand before the Giro d'Italia comes to SBS screens with the Italian Grand Tour LIVE and FREE on SBS.
