“His bike is in the truck" - Red Bull - BORA Hangrohe end Remco Evenepoel Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes speculation

Remco Evenepoel won't be riding the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes on Saturday. After setting out that he won't be racing before the Tour de France and his team repeatedly reiterating the tailored preparation, two major indicators made some believe that the Belgian could have been a surprise starter.

The 26-year-old infamously likes to keep the media and his rivals on their toes. Remembering back to winter, both Evenepoel and his new team Red Bull - BORA Hansgrohe repeatedly denied that he would participate in the Tour of Flanders. Even going as far as to recon the famous climbs of the race undercover in an all-black kit.

So when it was reported that his bike was spotted in the Red Bull team hotel ahead of the French WorldTour race, speculation soared that he could be set for a showdown with Paul Seixas in the prestigious warm-up race.

But his team definitively silenced speculation with a team announcement of Daniel Martinez, Maxim Van Gils, Finn Fisher-Black, Haimar Etxeberria, Callum Thornley, Luke Tuckwell, Gianni Vermeersch, and notably, no Evenepoel.

Asked about the Evenepoel speculation and his bike with the team in France, Red Bull sports director Klaas Lodewyck outlined that a repeat of the late Tour of Flanders announcement would not be coming.

“After what happened before Flanders, people think we are going to do the same thing again, but the bike is here because it is logistically easy,” Lodewyck told Sporza.

However, Evenepoel will be in the region over the coming week, and is set to recon some climbs and stages that will be in the Tour de France next month. His bike's presence at the race is merely to make logistics a simpler process.

“His bike is in the truck. After this race, we have a few more recons planned. I am staying here, and that way we can easily take the bike with us.”

Evenepoel's race-less build-up to the grand tour has gained headlines, with the team insisting that all is well and on track, some analysts and commentators have criticized the low-key build-up, with Geraint Thomas recently stressing the importance of racing to fine-tune progress.

Lodewyck remained tight-lipped but insisted all is well: “Let’s say he is on the right track. I think we can be satisfied with how he has developed.”