Patrick Lefevere trying to push 'new Merckx' pressure from Evenepoel to Tadej Pogacar: "That's clear now"

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team manager Patrick Lefevere has talked about the expectations being put on Remco Evenepoel's shoulders after his recent performance at Tirreno-Adriatico, as well as Tadej Pogacar's.

“He keeps questioning himself and everything he does, handles the situation very well and has one thing in mind: to keep working hard,” Lefevere told Het Laatste Nieuws regarding Remco Evenepoel. Evenepoel recently rode Tirreno-Adriatico where he was an active figure, frequently on the attack in the hilly stages, but encountered difficulty in the queen stage to Carpegna with the steep climbs and technical descents.

“The fact is, anyone who made him ‘the new Merckx’ was grossly mistaken in person. Not him, but Tadej Pogačar is ‘the new Merckx’. That’s clear now, I think," he added. Possibly understanding that this expression has had a negative effect on Evenepoel, Lefevere was now keen on it's use for the Slovenian talent.

As for Evenepoel, he stated that it's not yet known what are Evenepoel's clear specialities and that he's still finding his way through the pro cycling ranks: “Whether there is a strong classic one-day racer in him, rather than a Grand Tour rider? That should become apparent very soon. But what if he is also dropped in Flèche-Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège? What are they going to make of it then?”