Soudal Quick-Step

Find out more about Soudal Quick-Step's Remco Evenepoel

Remco Evenepoel is a Belgian road rider and a multiple world champion who rides for Soudal Quick-Step. He has won the Vuelta a España (2022) and several major one-day Classics.

A former junior road race world champion, Evenepoel turned professional with Patrick Lefevere’s team in 2019 and quickly became one of the team’s leading stars. The Belgian all-rounder took several breakthrough wins in his first season at WorldTour level, including one-day success in Clásica San Sebastián and the time trial at the European Championships. He also took silver in the men’s time trial at the UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire, England. 

The following year Evenepoel won all four of the stage races he started before a crash ended his campaign at Il Lombardia. The 2021 season saw the Belgian continue his development but in 2022 he reached a new level with a stunning overall win at the Vuelta a España as well as his first senior men’s rainbow jersey at the UCI Road World Championships in Australia.  

In 2023, his upward trajectory continued, retaining both his Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Clásica San Sebastián titles, before winning the gold medal in the men's time trial at the UCI Road World Championships in Scotland. 

At the Vuelta a España the Belgian failed to defend his title but won three stages and the mountains classification. In 2024 he will make his Tour de France debut. 

Remco Evenepoel

Tech

Pro Bikes

Remco Evenepoel’s Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 

 on a distinctly different bike from his 

 teammates. Although identical in build to the others, Evenepoel’s 

 Tarmac SL8 bears a striking custom paint job that celebrates his title as the reigning Belgium national champion. It’s a custom colourway that we first saw back in 

10 riders to watch at the Volta ao Algarve

Evenepoel’s trademark race move is to get incredibly aerodynamic on the bike. He has a staggering ability to leave the competition behind a long way from the finish line and solo into victory. In fact, over his career, it has earned him the nickname of ‘the Aerobullet’. No doubt he will be hoping to end Sunday as the overall leader of the Volta ao Algarve aboard this custom bike.

 that was launched last year. The bike is built on a frame purportedly weighing 685 grams, touted by Specialized as the lightest in the WorldTour. The colour scheme of Evenepoel’s new bike is inspired by his ability to "morph - like liquid metal - into a single aerodynamic blur of man and machine" and this celebrates his achievements at the World Championships and his victory at his home national championships.

We are seeing more and more of the world's best opting for the widest-spread cassettes that are available to them. Evenepoel is no different with his bike fitted with an 11-34 tooth Dura-Ace cassette which has been paired to a 54/40 crankset at the front of the drivetrain. Since the advancement from 11-speed to 12-speed drivetrains, riders have been opting for wider ratio cassettes as they allow you to run larger chainrings without compromising the lowest climbing gear ratio.

Given that this bike carries a five-figure price tag, it is interesting to see the team using such a low-cost hack for fitting the transponder to the fork leg of the bike. The team has used a section of latex inner tube to slide over the fork leg and transponder, making the transponder about as aerodynamic as it can be.

At the front of the bike, Evenepoel has Specialized’s in-house brand's Rapide one-piece bar and stem. When this was launched last year it was heralded as the fastest cockpit that Roval had ever created, saving four watts over the model it replaced. It’s striking just how deep the aero profile is when compared to other one-piece cockpits.

Sitting on top of the chrome-effect seatpost is Specialized’s S-Works Power saddle which is manufactured using 3D printing. This allows for the properties of each part of the saddle to be tuned to give the best possible comfort for the rider, using a technology that Specialized call Mirror. The saddle is made of a honeycomb structure that can be made with different densities throughout the saddle.

What do you think of Evenepoel’s custom Tarmac? Are you are fan? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Up close with Remco Evenepoel's Vuelta a España Specialized Tarmac SL8 

To celebrate his national title, Specialized released a special version of Remco Evenepoel's Tarmac SL8 for the Vuelta a España

Remco Evenepoel's new Specialized Tarmac SL8 for the Vuelta a España

 Tarmac SL8. Released at the beginning of August, the team used it at a Grand Tour for the first time, and while it may not have carried 

 to overall victory like the SL7 did 12 months ago, the Belgian did at least christen his new bike with three stage wins. 

Vuelta a España stage 3: Remco Evenepoel sprints to victory on first summit finish

Vuelta a España stage 14: Remco Evenepoel bounces back to victory atop Puerto de Belagua

Vuelta a España stage 18: Remco Evenepoel wins solo as Jumbo-Visma ride for Sepp Kuss

While the new bike, also used by the likes of 

, has garnered plenty of attention since its release, one bike amongst the collection stands out above the rest, and it belongs to Evenepoel. 

The Belgian champion is riding a special-edition Tarmac SL8 with a new design celebrating the national title he won in June.

We got up close to the bike while at the Vuelta, and it’s got a seriously cool design. 

 Remco Evenepoel's World Champion-edition Specialized Shiv time trial bike

For their national champions, teams regularly change the design of the rider’s bike to reflect the title. This can be as subtle as adding their nation’s flag, or as revolutionary as a full revamp, an option Soudal Quick-Step have taken for thier star rider. 

Gone are the regular blue colours for an all-black design, barring some neat detailing, most noticeably a chequered flag wrapped around the junction between the seat tube and top tube. 

On its release, Specialized said that the new design is inspired by Evenepoel’s ability to "morph - like liquid metal - into a single aerodynamic blur of man and machine".

As the bike celebrates Evenepoel’s national championship title, it’s no surprise that the Belgian flag is one of the focal features, although it’s located at the top of the top tube and not visible from the side. It’s an understated design, but maybe it acts as inspiration for the Belgian star in moments of difficulty.

Completing the sleek top tube design, Evenepoel’s initials appear in glistening silver just above the flag near the cockpit.

Specialized hasn’t followed that understated path with the full design, pairing the colourway with red decors. The red bar tape - from his time in the red leader's jersey at the Vuelta and later replaced by black - immediately catches the eye, but a closer inspection reveals the lengths Specialized has gone to complete the look, including a matching red K-Edge computer mount, bottle cages, and even the K-Edge chain guide hidden near the front derailleur.

Beyond the design, the bike features the 

Many of the components are sourced in house, including the Roval Rapide CLX wheels, paired with Specialized Turbo Cotton tyres.

The Vuelta a España may be over, but there's still plenty of time to catch up on any racing you might have missed, with on-demand coverage and highlights available on

and race reports, make sure to check out our

Remco Evenepoel's World Champion-edition Specialized Shiv TT unveiled ahead of crucial Vuelta a España TT

Remco Evenepoel's rainbow themed Specialized Shiv time trial bike

Weeks after winning his first time trial world title, Specialized has unveiled the World Champion-edition of Remco Evenepoel's Specialized Shiv TT.

Remco Evenepoel's special-edition rainbow Specialized Shiv time trial bike

 has launched a special edition bike for 

, this time a World Champion edition of his Specialized Shiv TT bike ahead of the stage 10 time trial. 

A custom Specialized Tarmac SL8 - a bike only released at the beginning of August - 

, sporting a new design. It’s now been joined by the new Specialized Shiv time trial bike, celebrating the Belgian’s World Championships success in Glasgow where he stormed to the world title for the first time, topping a strong field including two-time winner Filippo Ganna (Italy).

Unsurprisingly, its release comes ahead of the second and final time trial at the race, a day that is likely to be decisive in Evenepoel’s hopes of defending the overall title he won last season. The foundations of his 2022 victory were also laid in the stage 10 individual time trial, beating main rival Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) by 48 seconds. Roglič is once again one of Evenepoel’s main rivals this year, and he’ll be hoping to put a similar buffer into the Slovenian.

As he did last year, Evenepoel will attempt to do it atop Specialized’s Shiv TT bike, only this year, courtesy of the newly released design, it’s sporting the rainbow stripes that are the reserve of world champions.

It’s actually the second time trial of the race, following the team time trial on the opening day. Evenepoel used the standard team colours on that day as he can only technically pull on rainbow attire and use a rainbow-adorned bike in individual efforts against the clock.

The bike’s colourway has been completely revamped from what he used on that day, with the black shades swapped for an all-white theme. Despite being the world champion edition, the rainbow bands only form a small part of the design on the seat tube. It’s an understated approach which isn’t too in your face, and it looks great.

To complete the look, joining the bike and his world champion’s skinsuit, Specialized has also pulled together a custom rainbow-designed S-Works TT5 helmet.

Beyond the design, the bike itself is still the same as the one that’s powered Evenepoel to so much success, bar any minor adjustments to set-up. Soudal Quick-Step uses 

 Dura-Ace components, and in the pictures shared by Specialized, the bike has a 2x set-up.

Many riders now use 1x for time trials, even Shimano-sponsored teams, even though the brand doesn’t technically have a 1x road groupset. However, this can be adapted by swapping in a non-Shimano chainring, something teams are more willing to do on time trial bikes - which tend to be heavily customised - than on road bikes.

Evenepoel doesn’t appear to be following this trend, though, sticking to a 2x set-up with, as expected, a dinner plate-sized chainring. 

We got our hands on his Shiv earlier in the season

 and back then he had an eye-watering 60t biggest ring - it wouldn’t be surprising if he uses something similar on stage 10 on what is a relatively flat route.

Interestingly, from the images, it looks like Evenepoel will still be using an 11-speed version of Dura-Ace, which is now 12-speed. Whether this is simply driven by supply issues or a choice of the team is unknown.

Finishing components include Roval wheels paired with Specialized Turbo Cotton tyres, a custom-designed cockpit and an S-Works saddle.

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Date	Event	Discipline	Classification
6/2/2024	Critérium du Dauphiné	Road	2.UWT
6/29/2024	Tour de France	Road	2.UWT
7/27/2024	Olympic Games ITT	Road	WCTT
8/3/2024	Olympic Games RR	Road	WCRR
9/22/2024	World Championship ITT	Road	WCTT

Remco Evenepoel

Race Program

Remco Evenepoel's Bikes

Remco Evenepoel’s Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8

Up close with Remco Evenepoel's Vuelta a España Specialized Tarmac SL8

Remco Evenepoel's World Champion-edition Specialized Shiv TT unveiled ahead of crucial Vuelta a España TT

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