Evenepoel’s mid-race outburst and his explanation of his performance in Montréal

Remco Evenepoel starred in one of the tensest moments of the GP of Montreal when he found himself blocked by Toms Skujiņš just as Quinn Simmons launched an attack. The Belgian reacted visibly angry, although after the race he did not use the incident as an explanation for his fifth place and simply acknowledged that he had not felt good.

Evenepoel's anger with Skujiņš in the final of the GP of Montreal

Evenepoel arrived in Montreal as one of the main favorites after winning the GP of Quebec two days earlier, but the second Canadian classic turned out to be much more complicated for him.

The most controversial moment occurred in the decisive phase of the race, during the penultimate ascent to Mont Royal. Lidl-Trek had taken positions at the front and Toms Skujiņš had just completed his relay. The Latvian then began to drift to one side of the road while his teammate Quinn Simmons accelerated practically at the same time on the other side.

Evenepoel was riding just behind Skujiņš and found his path blocked. He had to brake and immediately reacted by showing his anger, first verbally and then with an obvious gesture when he managed to overtake the Lidl-Trek rider. Skujiņš responded to the Belgian, although the exchange did not go beyond that.

Remco was NOT happy

Remco Evenepoel responds to an attack from Quinn Simmons, but is left furious after feeling he was impeded by Toms Skujiņš in Montréal pic.twitter.com/etqKA0Rz51

— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) September 13, 2026

The maneuver caused Evenepoel to momentarily lose position at a delicate moment, but he managed to regroup and stay in the fight. In fact, he later found himself about 30 seconds behind the favorites' group and was able to close that gap almost single-handedly.

But the outcome of the race had other causes. On the last lap, Paul Seixas launched the decisive attack and Evenepoel could no longer respond. Isaac Del Toro then caught up with the Frenchman and ended up winning the GP of Montreal ahead of Seixas, while Evenepoel crossed the finish line in fifth place, 35 seconds behind.

Evenepoel acknowledges he didn't have good legs

After the race, Evenepoel was quite clear about what happened and did not point to the incident with Skujiņš as responsible for his result.

“I didn't feel good in the final. I think I really hadn't recovered from Quebec and the trip on Saturday. But I didn't give up either. Better to have a bad day today than in two weeks”.

The Belgian had made a significant effort to win in Quebec just 48 hours earlier and then had to travel to Montreal. Evenepoel specifically criticized the conditions of that transfer, which was done by bus for about three hours.

“You can't underestimate it, especially with the little time we have and the trip we have to make between the two races. But it's the same for everyone”.

He also pointed to another factor that historically does not favor him. “I didn't really feel well. I also usually don't do well in humid weather. And even so, I finished fifth. If this was a bad day, then it wasn't so bad”.

Evenepoel draws no conclusions for the World Championship

The result is particularly important because the Road World Championship will take place in Montreal in two weeks and will use much of the same circuit. But Evenepoel does not believe that what happened this Sunday can be directly transferred to the World Championship.

“I draw no conclusions from here. In two weeks it will be about 60 kilometers more, I think. Then it will be a completely different race, with much more fatigue”.

The very development of the GP also left him with positive aspects. Although he ended up succumbing to the decisive attacks, he recalled that he had previously been able to regain ground when he seemed completely out of the fight.

“In the end, I couldn't respond to the attack, but I was the only one who could really close the gap. After that, I still had two good changes of pace and finally also a good sprint”.

Evenepoel thus managed to save a fifth position that seemed complicated during the last lap. “It was simply a good training day with a good result. I had a good weekend”.

Now his preparation changes focus. Evenepoel will remain in Canada and will first focus on the World Time Trial next Sunday, September 20, before competing in the road race a week later.

“You are probably going to make me the worst rider in the world now”

The victory in Quebec had immediately placed Evenepoel among the top candidates for the rainbow jersey. His defeat in Montreal, especially after Del Toro and Seixas were the two strongest riders even without having their best feelings, changes the picture for the World Championship, but the Belgian does not seem particularly worried.

“You are probably going to make me the worst rider in the world now”, he joked. Afterward, he again acknowledged that he simply had a bad day. “I really didn't have good legs. I also immediately communicated to the team that we shouldn't make an offensive move, but try to control the circuit a bit. In the end, I improved, but when the floodgates opened completely, it was difficult for me”.

“I didn't give up and went to the limit. It always happens to me when I come from altitude; I lack that extra punch. There are two weeks left, so everything will be fine”.

In two weeks, he will have the opportunity to see if, as he himself hopes, that bad day came at the right time.