Lefevere hints at Giro-Tour double for Remco Evenepoel in 2025 - "Pogacar has shown that it is possible to win both in a row"

Tadej Pogacar did and completed both Giro d'Italia and Tour de France this year with his very best legs and with no doubt this will motivate others to do the same. Achieving perfect preparation for both races simultaneously suddenly no longer seems to be an impossible puzzle, and we may very well see Remco Evenepoel do it in 2025.

“While we actually wanted him to start the Primavera this year. A 300-kilometre race can be useful. But cycling has changed. The big guns no longer need Milan-Sanremo as preparation. They train differently now. Remco will undoubtedly do Sanremo and the Tour [of Flanders] one day, but not now," Patrick Lefevere said in an interview with La Dernière Heure. "Maybe only after he has achieved his big goal: winning the three Grand Tours. After that, we will see. The main thing will be to keep an eye on Remco to keep enjoying himself.”

He has won the Vuelta a España in 2022 and has tried to win the Giro d'Italia on several occasions but always with something derailing his chances. This year he opted to let it go despite a favourable route, but at the Tour de France found his perfect climbing legs and consistency. If he is not faced with Pogacar or Jonas Vingegaard at next year's Giro then he may very well be the man to beat. It was actually the initial plan for this year, the manager of Soudal - Quick-Step reveals:

“Remco wanted that, but his trainer changed those plans. But it is realistic for 2025. Pogacar has shown that it is possible to win both in a row," he winks. "Anyone who knows Remco knows that he gets motivation from that. Of course, that entails a completely different preparation. Then he has to peak for the first time in mid-April, because his season will start later. Before the Giro, he might be able to start in Milan-Sanremo after all.”

But Lefevere knows that within UAE Team Emirates many threats to the Belgian may emerge including João Almeida, Adam Yates, possibly Isaac del Toro but in specific the Spanish youngster that he is very keen to point out: “Watch out for Ayuso. They are not talked about as much, but Team UAE is a real armada. They have already won more this year than we did in our record year when we recorded 75 victories.”

Of course, Quick-Step do not have the funds to match such a team, but he also points out that he can't focus the entire team on supporting him. “But it is not always and only Remco, Remco and Remco. We count 275 racing days. Of which maybe sixty with Remco. When he is not there, we also need other guys to win.”