“Now I know why he took it easy in Catalunya...” - Visma DS reacts to news of Remco Evenepoel's Tour of Flanders debut

Remco Evenepoel’s confirmed debut at the Tour of Flanders has added another name to an already tight group of contenders, and from within Team Visma | Lease a Bike, the reaction has been measured rather than alarmed.

Grischa Niermann greeted the news with a light remark that reached back to last week’s Volta a Catalunya, where Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard spent the week on opposite sides of the race dynamic. “My first thought was that I know why he took it easy in Catalunya... No, my first thought was I will call Jonas now that he comes here,” Niermann joked in comments collected by Domestique.

The reference lands against the backdrop of Evenepoel’s comments at the race, where he pointed to a familiar pattern. “Jonas rode very defensively again, like he has all week. There was nothing I could do about that,” he said after the final stage in Barcelona.

Behind the humour sat a more straightforward assessment. Evenepoel’s presence does not change the nature of the race, but it does add another rider capable of shaping it. “No, it’s good for us if another strong guy comes there,” Niermann said. “It’s another card that plays a role, so I think it’s a good thing.”

For all the acknowledgement of Evenepoel’s level, Niermann also pointed to the specific demands of the Tour of Flanders, separating it clearly from the terrain where the Belgian has built most of his results. “I think it will be a new experience for Remco because this race for sure is different than other races.”

The expectation from within Visma is not that Evenepoel will struggle physically, but that the race itself presents a different challenge. Positioning, rhythm and constant pressure through the peloton are as decisive as raw strength. “If he can manage to handle himself in the hectic, he will be there in the final.”

That line captures the balance around Evenepoel’s debut. The level is not in doubt, but the race will decide how much of it he can use.

His arrival also shifts the wider picture slightly. With Wout van Aert already carrying expectation and now another Belgian added to the mix, the race opens up rather than narrows. For Visma, that is not a problem to manage, but another factor to account for.

Evenepoel’s first start at the Tour of Flanders brings a new variable into the race. Whether it becomes a decisive one will depend less on what he has already shown, and more on how he handles what is still new.