New time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel added another medal to his 2025 tally with an emphatic victory in the UEC Road European Championship time trial.
He left runner-up Filippo Ganna trailing by 43 seconds over the 24km course in southern France, with Niklas Larsen of Denmark taking third place 1:08 behind the winner.
It underlines his dominance in time trials following his recent win at the Kigali World Championships, where he caught and passed Tadej Pogačar.
Britain's Ethan Hayter was fourth and fellow countryman Josh Tarling fifth at one and two seconds behind Larsen respectively.
On a largely flat course beginning at Loriol-sur-Drôme and marked only by a small climb to the finish at Étoile-sur-Rhône, Belgium's Evenepoel perched head and shoulders above all comers.
Within seven kilometres he had caught and passed minute man Stefan Küng – who knows what the Swiss time trial specialist thought when he saw Evenpoel fly by.
He said afterwards: "I'm super happy to take another title... the wind was pretty strong, always on the head or a little bit on the side, so it was really difficult sometimes to control the bike and to take the corner properly, but I think we managed everything well.
He said he would now double down for an attempt on Sunday's road race, planning to do a recon in the next day or two.
"There is a bit more time in between the events, so tomorrow I'm going to rest and then have some good training here, and I hope to be ready for Sunday," he said.
The course should have suited double world TT champion Ganna, but the Italian was unable to match Evenepoel at any of the three time checks, the gap between the two slowly drawing out to what was a strong win for the Belgian.
It was a good course for Tarling too – himself a former European time trial champion – as well as his three-time national champion British team-mate Hayter. Tarling was, in fact, third through the first two checks, but both Larsen and Hayter finished strongly to nudge him down into fifth.
Belgium also enjoyed success earlier in the day when Evenepoel's young team-mate Jonathan Vervenne triumphed in the men's under-23 time trial, held over the same course. In the men's junior event, the glory went to Michiel Mouris of the Netherlands.
Results
Elite men's UEC Road European Championships time trial
1. Remco Evenepoel (Gbr), 24km in 28:26
2. Filippo Ganna (Ita), +43s
3. Niklas Larsen (Den), +1:08
4. Ethan Hayter (Gbr), +1:09
5. Josh Tarling (Gbr), +1:10
6. Daan Hoole (Ned), +1:38
7. Mathias Vacek (Cze), +1:43
8. Stefan Küng (Swi), +1:47
9. Bruno Armirail (Fra), +1:48
10. Alec Segaert (Bel), +1:51
Under-23 men's UEC Road European Championships time trial
1. Jonathan Vervenne (Bel), 24km in 30:27
2. Matisse van Kerckhove (Bel), +1s
3. Adam Rafferty (Ire), +6s
4. Maxime Decomble (Fra), +15s
5. Mads Landbo (Den), +26s
Junior men's UEC Road European Championships time trial
1. Michiel Mouris (Ned), 24km in 30:49
2. Conor Murphy (Ire), +4s
3. Julius Løvstrup Birkedal (Den), +27s
4. Jan Michal Jakowiak (Pol), +49s
5. Eñaut Ukaregi (Spa), +55s
