Remco Evenepoel has, by most fans' standards, overperformed this season. Winning a Grand Tour (Vuelta a España), a monument (Liège-Bastogne-Liège) and the World Championships road race is a feat most would not be capable of coming close to, but have all been added to his palmarès in 2022.
Having featured in 'De Tribune' show, Lefevere commented on several aspects of Evenepoel's recent success. "The boy has been with us since he was seventeen," Lefevere said. "We have tried to guide him personally, especially after what happened in Lombardia (his crash which left him with severe injuries at the 2020 Il Lombardia). He even caught me at speed, but that is no longer so difficult these days."
"Only God Knows if he can top this season," he stated. Lefevere has also revealed where Evenepoel will debut his rainbow jersey, as has been reported yesterday. "He will ride Binche-Chimay-Binche to show his rainbow jersey in his own country and to say goodbye to Philippe Gilbert and Iljo Keisse in the race - two riders he greatly admired. After that, it's time to rest for a while."
This should likely be the final race of his season, one that has seen him take incredible amounts of success, whilst simultaneously improving on the weak points and doubts he had regarding aspects such as descending, recovery in a Grand Tour and the hefty amounts of media pressure and attention. "He is indeed calmer now, but that's not because we gave him media training. I'm really against that. If you take the spontaneity away, you take the rider away," Lefevere argued, pointing towards another rider who has in the past received the same focus as Evenepoel.
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"We went through Boonen mania in 2005, but I don't think it will turn out like that for Evenepoel. Evenepoel is an ascetic, Boonen was a real rock star. He went to the toilet at a party and came back with ten phone numbers," he continued. "Remco has now found peace. He comes from a stable family anyway and now also has a private balance with his fiancée Oumi."
"I hope he can keep that peace in his head. He also has the escape route to Calpe (Spain, where he's had lots of training camps over the last few years). And with the money that he now earns, it is no problem for Evenepoel to escape for a while."
The future seems very bright for the newest Belgian superstar, who returns the rainbow stripes to the nation 10 years after Philippe Gilbert won back in Valkenburg. "We are not going to weigh the timing of the stage-races against that of the upcoming world championship. I don't believe in those stories of 'perfect preparation' either."
"We also have to ensure that Remco does not want to be too good too soon. That he does not want to prove extra that he is worth the rainbow. We have no doubts about that." Regarding a possible tilt at the Tour de France next year, Lefevere was also keen on managing the expectations: "And I can already say that our cards for 2024 are better than those for 2023."
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