"Beating Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar if they only focus on the Tour seems unrealistic to me" - Belgian concerns over Remco Evenepoel's plans to combine Giro d'Italia and Tour de France

At the presentation of the profiles and routes of the 2024 Tour de France, Patrick Lefevere let slip that his Soudal - Quick-Step team's star rider Remco Evenepoel was flirting with the idea of doubling up the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France. This news has raised concerns in Belgium.

Comparing Evenepoel's idea with the performances of Jonas Vingegaard at both the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana this year, Belgian sports coach Paul Van den Bosch notes to Het Nieuwsblad the differences in the two situations. "It is of course admirable what he did, but it is a different story with the Tour already under his belt and the Vuelta still to come. Then the pressure is less. Moreover, Vingegaard started his Tour in the usual way, without taking on too much beforehand."

"Going for the overall victory in both Grand Tours is not realistic in my opinion," continues Van den Bosch, raising his concerns with Evenepoel's prospective plan. It's worth noting that Patrick Lefevere himself expressed doubt at the idea of the time-trial world champion doing both Grand Tours. "Especially because his competitors in the Tour will follow a different trajectory. Beating Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar if they only focus on the Tour seems unrealistic to me."

"Four to five weeks are not enough to recover and prepare for a big tour," says Van den Bosch. "Especially if you have to compete against a fresher Vingegaard and Pogacar. A scenario where you complete one lap and select a few stages in the other seems more realistic. Going full throttle in the Giro and tackling a few stages in the Tour can work. But I don't believe that after three weeks at the cutting edge in Italy you will still retain the mental and physical freshness to do the same in France."