"I feel like I’ve gotten closer to Vingegaard and Pogacar" - Remco Evenepoel radiates confidence ahead of Dauphiné

Remco Evenepoel is radiating confidence at the start of 2025 Critérium du Dauphiné. Against Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, he can only gain from this clash with the winners of last five Tour de France editions. And the Soudal - Quick-Step leader trusts his legs after a good training block.

"This is a first test to see where we stand," Evenepoel told Het Nieuwsblad among others at the pre-race press conference. All eyes will be on a three-sided battle of Evenepoel, Jonas Vingegaard and defending Tour champion Tadej Pogacar this summer.

However the Belgian points out that Dauphiné could bring forward many other names. "It won’t necessarily be a battle with just Pogacar and Vingegaard, there are a lot of good riders. This week I’m mainly going to look at myself and then I’ll see where I am at the end of the week," the 25-year-old indicates that he's not too fussed about a race month before Grande Boucle.

But his level is without a doubt high, he confirms: "I’m in about the same shape as I was just before the Tour last year, so now at the Dauphiné I’ll definitely be better than last year. I think I can make a big step this year and climb better than last year. I definitely feel like I’ve gotten closer to Vingegaard and Pogacar, but there’s always room for improvement."

This season's preparation was again not ideal due to a training accident in winter, but the Olympic champion had more than enough time to make up for that setback: "It feels good to finally feel in shape again. It's always easy to say that you come out of an injury stronger, it's something else to actually make it happen. During the altitude training camp I achieved really good values, and that makes me happy."

Finally, he expects a heated battle at Dauphiné. "The fact that we are now at the start with the top three of the Tour will probably make us want to prove ourselves even more. It is clear that the level will be higher than last year, and the course is also more difficult."