Remco Evenepoel to evade Belgian glare with move to Spain, plans for altitude room
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
This article originally appeared on Velo News
It’s not a quiet life if you’re a superstar of cycling and live in bike-crazed Belgium.
Newly crowned world champion Remco Evenepoel plans to escape the glare of the nation’s lens and the melee of the local media by moving to Spain with his newly-married wife Oumi next year.
“The people who want something from me won’t know where I am or what I’m doing. That should help a bit,” Evenepoel told Geraint Thomas during the Welshman’s latest GTCC podcast.
Evenepoel has been overwhelmed by home hype since he returned from Wollongong with a rainbow jersey in his suitcase.
The 22-year-old celebrated a blockbuster season that included victories at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, the Vuelta a Espana and road worlds in front of thousands of fans in Brussels’ iconic Grote Markt at the start of the month. Since then, the young Belgian has been bombarded by media requests, beckoned on-stage to awards shows, and honored by his former soccer team Anderlecht.
Also read:
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl boss Patrick Lefevere called Evenepoel an “ascetic” in contrast to the “rock star” party-animal of Tom Boonen after he dominated road worlds, and warned his young star of an oncoming media storm.
The garrulous team manager proved wise with his words of advice.
“We can feel a change in my life in the small things, like we wanted to keep the wedding secret, or more private than it was,” Evenepoel told the GTCC show.
"The most dangerous thing is that everyone wants a piece of me. We need to keep that under control, so far it has worked well. November and December will be most dangerous when everything calms down and the TV shows come for the holiday period.”
At-home altitude
Evenepoel plans to find some serenity in the coming months by flying the family Schepdaal nest and relocating to the pro cycling sweet spot of Valencia.
And like any true sporting celebrity, the 22-year-old is mulling making space for an altitude chamber in his new Alicante apartment.
Evenepoel reaped the benefits of the hypoxia rooms at the Costa Blanca’s Syncrosfera resort during recent training camps and is considering setting one up in “Remco Towers” when the move is complete.
“The expenses you make for Syncrosfera would be recouped with such a room in your own house,” Evenepoel told Het Laatste Nieuws. “We have already thought about that, there are plans for it, but then the architect will have to visit again."
For exclusive access to all of our fitness, gear, adventure, and travel stories, plus discounts on trips, events, and gear, sign up for Outside+ today.
