“It’s going to be special” – Remco Evenepoel set for Soudal – Quick-Step farewell at Il Lombardia

On the misty morning of Il Lombardia, Remco Evenepoel stood with quiet composure, knowing this was his final race with Soudal – Quick-Step. The Belgian three time world time trial champion, who has conquered Liège–Bastogne–Liège and multiple other one day races, faces his last day in the blue jersey before moving on to a new chapter. But as he spoke before the start, there was no nostalgia, only focus.

“Yeah, it’s going to be a special one of course like you said,” he admitted to Cycling Pro Net. “But in the end it’s a race like always and I have to focus on the race first and then tonight it will be a different story of course. But I think now I have to focus on racing and try to get the best result as possible.”

Evenepoel is no stranger to high expectations. Every start line brings a sense of anticipation, but this one carries extra weight. His relationship with Soudal – Quick-Step defined his early years as a professional, a team that built him up, celebrated his world titles, and occasionally clashed with his ambition. Now, on his farewell appearance, he aims to end that story with a performance worthy of his talent.

Asked whether his team would repeat the attacking style seen at the European Championships from the Belgian team, he was realistic about the scale of the challenge up against Pogacar and UAE. “It’s a bit different, I think. I mean more riders on the start list. Yeah, also in general stronger blocks, so it’s going to be difficult to really do something special. But of course, yeah, the final is going to be a race like always super hard. So, yeah, just need to be able to be the best version of myself and try to get the best result as possible.”