“It may be a stroke of luck that the first week is relatively flat” - Remco Evenepoel still believes he has time to reach top shape

Remco Evenepoel claimed victory in the Belgian National Time Trial Championships on Friday, adding the national title to his Olympic and world champion honors. With the Tour de France just a week away, the Belgian star appears to be in a more confident place after expressing disappointment with his fourth-place finish at the Critérium du Dauphiné two weeks ago.

After his ride, Evenepoel told HLN, “I am happy with the feeling. I didn't train too crazy there, because it was quite warm and high. But I did my best. This weekend was the last tough block anyway. I absolutely wanted to ride this time trial to test the setup again. That time trial in the Tour is a big goal.”

Looking ahead to the Tour de France, he added, “It's a bit late to add a few percentages, but it may be a stroke of luck that the first week is relatively flat. Of course it will be 'full throttle' right away, but the Tour actually only starts for the GC riders in the second week. We'll take it day by day and trust that everything will be fine."

The time trial on stage 5 of the Tour de France could present Evenepoel with a real opportunity to take the yellow jersey for the first time in his career.

Reflecting on his national championship win, Evenepoel said, “It was still pretty tough. It was a time trial where you had to keep pushing, with few opportunities to recover. I just kept a steady pace and based myself on the split times.”