Philippe Gilbert's first impression of Remco Evenpoel was not a positive one, as the Belgian veteran revealed his young teammate to be "arrogant" and "a bit crazy."

Gilbert, 37 and a five-time Monument winner, first met 19-year-old Evenpoel at the Detunink-Quick Step preseason training camp last December; the two first raced together at the Belgian National Championships in June, followed by the Adriatica Ionica and World Championships.

Gilbert had a successful 17th professional season, winning two stages of Paris-Roubaix and the Vuelta a España, while Evenpoel had a sensational debut season, jumping up from U23. He won the Baloise-Belgium Tour, the Clasica San Sebastián, and the European time trial, and finished second in the elite world championship time trial.

Gilbert has proven his ability in impressive fashion, but at first he thought he was just a talker. [Gilbert told the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, "In the beginning, I didn't take him too seriously.

"I thought he was a bit crazy. He said a lot of things before the race. You have to calm down a little bit."

One example is Adriatica Ionica, where Evenepoel attacked with 25 km to go in the third stage and finished alone, more than two minutes ahead of the rest of the pack, with Gilbert leading.

"I thought he was arrogant until a few hours later when he put it into practice," Gilbert said. 'It was impressive.'

Gilbert's relationship with Evenpoel grew stronger while representing Belgium at the World Championships in Yorkshire. When Gilbert crashed at the finish line intersection with 126 km to go, Evenpoel waited for Gilbert and sacrificed himself to bring him back to the peloton.

The two were unable to return, and Gilbert tearfully abandoned the race two laps later, but Evenepoel left a strong impression.

"The youngest in the group, Evenepoel was a first-class athlete. That really impressed me," Gilbert told HLN.

"It's also a testament to his abundant potential. He thinks and acts tactically. What he did in Yorkshire was super professional. It will take him a big leap forward in the future."