"I rode up the Mortirolo three, four times" - Remco Evenepoel explains how he dealt with difficulty of riding steep climbs
Cycling
Despite being only 23, Remco Evenepoel has already had several different stages to his career. Today he finds himself as one of the most versatile, complete and consistent riders but that wasn't always the case. In a recent interview he explains how he's worked on some of his flaws and his Giro d'Italia plan.
"Then I also rode one tough race. Prior to a grand tour," Evenepoel said in an interview with Castelli, recalling how he won the Clasica San Sebastian before racing the Vuelta a Espana. This year as he focuses on the Giro he takes on a similar preparation plan as he is set to try and defend his Liège-Bastogne-Liège title the weeks before the Grande Partenza in Sicily.
"Actually, the plan was not to ride classics, but as world champion and defending champion I think I should go," said Evenepoel. “The fact that I won that race opened a lot of doors. By winning Liège and also the World Cup, I may have more room to pursue my other goals: winning the three Grand Tours.'
The victory at the Corsa Rosa is likely his goal, "however, it won't be easy;" he admits. "I might see Primoz Roglic and Geraint Thomas as the top favourites." A route packed with time-trialing kilometers but also mammoth mountain stages in the final week, it will put to the test all the evolution he's overgone through in the past few years.
Having turned pro only a few years after beginning to do cycling, his bike handling skills cost him in his early years, struggling with positioning and technical descents. He had flaws in his armour which made him an easy target for specific types of attacks, but he feels confident that that is no more: "That is one of my strengths, that I can learn things quickly."
"Take the skills on the bike. When I got to the pros it became more difficult, because I was not used to cornering at high speeds in a peloton. That also applies to the aero position, so I think it's a talent of mine that I can adapt quickly," he explains.
Another obstacle of his was the piled on pressure from the media, and the non-stop comparisons to Eddy Merckx. Shoes that are virtually impossible to fill at this day and age in cycling, but nevertheless something that was put on his shoulders. But Evenepoel has surged through that pressure in 2022 having become a very open figure, visibly without that weight in his shoulders.
“Before my crash in the Giro di Lombardia, I was less able to deal with that, but now it no longer gives me negative energy. In the Vuelta I got compliments for staying so long talking to the journalists, but I know it would cost me negative energy if I didn't answer, for example," Evenepoel describes.
Another issue he has was in the steep climbs, but that has also been eliminated with hard work. “That may not have been a strong point before, but I rode up the Mortirolo three, four times, for example. I can tell you that it is no fun, but now those steep climber are no longer a shortcoming of mine," he tells.
A very dangerous rider for solo moves, time-trialing specialist, and as he shown in the Vuelta a Espana also a consistent and calm figure on the climbs, Evenepoel has worked through his flaws to become a headliner in the stage-races. "As a GC rider I think you have to master all aspects of the sport," he concluded.
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
- A mindset that reminds me of Tim Declerq. I loved watching that guy just pound away the kilometers, hours at the front, holding an entire breakaway in check on his own. Bjerg seems like a similar guy. Curling, the team sport.RidesHills04-11-2026
- He will be lol, but he can still win on the climbs hahaawp04-11-2026
- I would love to have his inconsistency. How many wins this year? 2 TdF stages, a WC, a Euro championship, San Sebastian, multiple wins early year. Monument podiums. I'd take it. I don't think he has a chance in the TdF, but he is still amazing.mij04-11-2026
- He's not going to win the TdF. Maybe if they make every single stage a TT he could win. But I still believe Tadej would just sharpen his TT skills and win.mij04-11-2026
- You beat me to it. Should he make a full recovery (likely) and go light early in the year. One, two, three. Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Should he be on a Feel-Like-He's-Fixin'-to-Die High.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- The deciding factor may be the (TBD) number of (any type of) kilometers without Pogacar.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- Unexplained chronic fatigue is an all too common bitch. The hard to find definitive answer may lie buried in gut mechanisms. A mystery of the deep.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- It's weird to say Evenepoel would be making a "serious mistake by adding the 2027 Giro d'Italia to his calendar, warning that such a decision could even be interpreted as a lack of confidence in his ability to win the Tour de France." It may well be a mistake but with so many commentators (of all sorts) continuously claiming almost everything Remco does as being a mistake, almost nobody should care what the pundits and the disparagers should say. His team may not want him to do the Giro, and that matters. But it's possibly or probably up to Remco to decide and it may not have to be decided on until a month or so ahead of the race. Yes , Remco is inconsistent much like the majority of the best riders but he's enjoying a period of not having been recently injured (or sick). Whatever he does he need not be concerned with critics who will second guess any perceived failure no matter what. I suspect he will have enough other races on his schedule so he won't be considering it. But the worst reason to not race it is because of what some will say - humorous that be.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- I'll say clean sweep all grand tourZamorano04-11-2026
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