Good morning 😃 #LaVuelta22 starts today 💥 Photo: @BeelWout
At the start of his debut Vuelta a Espana, Remco Evenepoel is seen by some as a big contender for the overall classification, and by others as a stage hunter. His presence will be of a wildcard, going a bit into the unknown throughout the three weeks.
"But first the focus is on tomorrow's team time trial. It will be important not to lose time there," Evenepoel told reporters ahead of the Vuelta in a press conference. "Winning the team time trial would be a dream start. Then a lot of pressure will immediately fall off our shoulders".
Quick-Step will be looking to protect and help Remco Evenepoel in a stint for the overall classification, however they will also be on the hunt for stages with him and World champion Julian Alaphilippe mainly. It will be an interesting race for the Belgian team, which starts with a favourite role today in the team time-trial in Utrecht.
Evenepoel will however be eyeing the race in it's long-term, but has admitted that he will be chasing stage wins - which in any case, would only support his GC ambitions simultaneously. "I do indeed start with a question mark at the Vuelta. But I would like to convert that question mark into an exclamation mark," he said.
"It comes down to being on my guard for 21 days. Of course, some days may not go as well as others. We will go for it every day with the team," Evenepoel added. The Vuelta will be a very tough route, however with several stages that will suit the Belgian. The race is not shy of the high mountains however, with the 15th stage to Sierra Nevada being a day many will be fearing.
"From the time trial in Alicante (stage 10) there will be a full race for the classification," Evenepoel noted. The GC fight will begin before that, with three summit finishes, a team time-trial and at least two more hilly stages that can see differences in the opening week alone.
claps 0visitors 118
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Funny... one doper enabler backing the doper he enabled ! Who would have guessed.frieders322-12-2024
- Wouldn’t be here if I wasn’tMistermaumau22-12-2024
- So you're bored, got itvappaxbipmv22-12-2024
- Does everything need to have a point? If so, 99% of the internet should be wiped away. In relation to recent articles with quotes from other riders, my statement points to the ever more obvious reason why they are asked to comment on the effect of his return.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- If anyone would be interested enough to launch an official survey as to who out of these three should shut up, I don’t know who’d win but I’m due Boonen would be way back in 3rd place.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- And your point is what exactly?vappaxbipmv22-12-2024
- MVDP dominates this sport even more than Pogaçar dominates road racing. Also he can beat Tadej on the road quite regularly, the opposite is unlikely.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- If you listen to team radios you'll hear each DS telling their riders to ride faster, fight their way to the front, and all occupy the same 8 places.Sweep22-12-2024
- You're talking about a sport where equipment and clothing is measured in grams.Sweep22-12-2024
- “During a TT, I am basically blind”. That was his quote after crashing into the barriers in a TT. The problem isn’t the UCI, radios or air bags. The problem is the riders and their teams.JoeyB22-12-2024