Daily Times

Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel survived a dramatic late puncture to take Olympic road race gold Saturday, delivering a historic double for his cycling-mad country after already winning the time trial.

The double gold ensures Evenepoel’s place in the pantheon of cycling greats and marks an impressive comeback four years after he plunged over a wall into a ravine during a race in Italy. He is the only man to have ridden the Olympic double. Dutch cyclist Leontien Zijlaard completed the women’s double at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

“So proud to win this and to be the first ever to take the double. It’s history,” said the 24-year-old Belgian. Cheered on by massive roadside crowds, Evenepoel was clear leader when disaster struck.

The puncture sent him shuddering to a gut-wrenching halt less than 4km from the finish line, Evenepoel frantically waving his arms at his team as he waited for a replacement bike.

The team car arrived quickly and a panicked Evenepoel, unaware of the advantage he had on his pursuers, dashed over the remainder of the course to seal victory in front of the Eiffel Tower. “I really feel sick from the effort, especially with that stressful moment with about 4km to go,” he told reporters.