Johan Bruyneel explodes against 'complete bullsh*t' Remco Evenepoel rumour - "I don't know anybody in their right mind who would pay 10 million to a rider"

Remco Evenepoel could be termed cycling's second best rider at the moment - a double Olympic Champion, reigning time-trial Champion, Tour de France podium and much more at 24 - but paying €10 million per season is impossible for pundit Johan Bruyneel. Aside from discussing the possible Giro-Tourr double for the Belgian, Bruyneel completely dismissed the rumour of a multi-million euro transfer to Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe.

"I think there's a hint. He said that he wants to get back to the feeling of being a Grand Tour winner... There are certain reports that he might be considering the Giro and the Tour. Makes sense, he already won the Vuelta, so the Giro, he could win if it's a course ok for him," Bruyneel said of the Soudal - Quick-Step rider in The Move podcast. "he also said that he'll never sacrifice Liège-Bastogne-Liège. So Liège and the Giro is perfectly doable".

Over the past years, Evenepoel and Pogacar put in a great deal of focus in 'La Doyenne' and have won it, dominantly. Pogacar this year also rode to an extraordinary Giro-Tour double which in Bruyneel's opinion is now also a possibility for the Belgian. "The course of the Tour, the absence of a super long time-trial is probably not in his favour, he's going to go back to the Tour trying to be on the podium again I think that's logical, that would be a logical evolution for him..."

"But the guy's a winner, and being third in the Tour is not what Remco Evenepoel is riding is bike for. He's riding his bike to win. In that point of view I think the Giro would be perfect for him," he argues. Spencer Martin agrees:

"Pogacar showed that it's not disqualifying, there's five weeks between the Giro and the Tour... That's a decent amount of time, Pogacar showed us that if you're good enough, the Giro can just be a training camp. The thing I would worry about is crashes and weather".

However Evenepoel also recently hit headlines due to an alleged offer from Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe that featured a €10 million euro contract, DS Klaas Lodewyck and three support riders. It came from Michel Wuyts in a report for Het Laatste Nieuws but Bruyneel does not believe at all in the veracity of this report and has gone off on his fellow compatriot:

"When I saw that I said 'this is complete bullshit'... First of all the guy who came with this rumour is an old guy, he's been one of the main TV commentators in the past, he's been put on the side and tries to make noise to stay relevant: It's Michel Wuyts. In Belgium we call him 'the self declared pope of cycling'," Bruyneel said. The two have agreed that this number does not actually come from a factual assessment of the situation, but instead of a misinterpretation from the former commentator.

"He came out with that column and spoke about 10 million. There's no way Evenepoel would walk away from a 10 million contract in the first place, secondly I don't know anybody in their right mind who would pay 10 million to a rider. If Pogacar makes 8.5 and he's the best rider by far, there's no way".

Martin argued that the offer would've been of €5 million a season for two years, but this was reported incorrectly: "Someone probably told him 10 million, he's forgetting the duration part of that, so 10 million over a number of years. It looked like it was two years".