Some cyclists spend months, if not years, trying to conquer KOMs on Strava, those timed segments on the popular platform. And then there's Remco Evenepoel, who almost without realizing it smashes a record that had stood for eight years. The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider was in Los Angeles for a photo shoot with Specialized and during the shoot managed to set the best time on a particular segment, proving that his competitive spirit never abandons him, not even in the off-season and not even in situations that are anything but official.

The Unexpected Record

Remco is thinking with increasingly insistent focus about Los Angeles 2028 and has already gotten a head start with great anticipation: since last weekend he's been in the States, in California, for his first reconnaissance of the course and for wind tunnel testing. After all, he's the reigning double Olympic champion, following his commendable double triumph in Paris two years ago. As a leading athlete for Specialized, the Belgian agreed to a photo shoot around the city and on October 27th he became the protagonist of a curious feat. He indeed beat the record on the segment known as Double Reservoir Loop of 27.69 km, stopping the clock at 40'18", 23 seconds faster than the previous record that had stood since 2018. And all without even intending to, simply riding at his own pace, between one photo and another.

Above, the screenshot of the activity uploaded by Remco himself on his Strava page, with 33.8 km total, 249 meters of elevation gain and 50 minutes of riding time. «During a photo shoot», the comment from the recent road race European champion, accompanied by a camera emoji and a smiling, surprised face emoji.

Remco in Los Angeles

These are hectic days for Remco in Los Angeles. First a ride together with teammates Jai Hindley and Luke Tuckwell (and Demi Vollering, also a Specialized athlete) along the ocean in Santa Monica, then a long reconnaissance of the roads for the Olympic time trial course. The Belgian's last official race of 2026 was the historic Chrono Des Nations time trial, which he won decisively, of course.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Remco Evenepoel (@remco.ev)