Philippa York believes "we can expect a very different race now" following Remco Evenepoel's Giro d'Italia departure

The bombshell announcement that the Maglia Rosa, Remco Evenepoel had withdrawn from the Giro d'Italia due to covid was initially a big blow to the race. Philippa York though has been discussing how the Belgian's departure could actually lead to a more exciting race.

"We can expect a very different race now that one of the main favourites is out, especially as the other, Primož Roglič, has had his own setbacks too," York explains in her column for Cycling News. "Ineos Grenadiers have the strongest collective, as we’ve seen when the road rises, but with Evenepoel gone, their race changes from one of looking for opportunities to suddenly having to adopt much more responsibility."

Losing a rider the standard of Evenepoel through a reason that has nothing to do with his performance on the bike is always going to be a negative for any race. York is keen to point out though that there is still plenty of excitement upcoming over the next week as the race begins to enter the big mountains.

"Being the new race leader has its good and bad points for Geraint Thomas, though personally I think the happiest person on the team will be Tao Geoghegan Hart. No media requirements, no podium visits unless he wins, way less pressure," she debates for trying to get in the heads of Jumbo-Visma and Primoz Roglic. "Being within a minute of Evenepoel was probably their expectation at this point, but now they’ll look at Ineos and company with much more optimism. If the stage 8 attack was anything to go by, then they have to be thinking that things are only going to get much more interesting from now on."

For Evenepoel, the massive disappointment now poses a new question. Will he switch his attention and ride the Tour de France? "It was all going so perfectly for a while, even to the point of looking like a foregone conclusion, but then dogs, desperados and damage showed a few chinks in Evenepoel's armour," York recaps. "There is no race like the Giro d'Italia for drama and uncertainty."

"Not even Evenepoel’s strength could save him from the randomness of first week luck, which all riders encounter at one time or another," she continues. "And the other development to look forward to, of course, is this: will Remco Evenepoel now ride at the Tour de France?"