Remco Evenepoel anticipates Pogacar as the man to beat at Il Lombardia: "It's a season that may never be repeated"

Remco Evenepoel is running out of steam for 2024 and admits it ahead of Il Lombardia. The Soudal - Quick-Step leader will be ending his season in northern Italy this Saturday in a race that means a lot to him, but also where he will be hoping to contest for a result.

"It's hard to say how much is left in the tank. But I feel good about achieving one more good result. After that, it's over," Evenepoel told Sporza this morning in Italy. "I also feel that it's slowly running out. In some of the past races I would normally last longer or play a more important role in the final. The best seems to have faded a bit, which is only normal." We can't expect to see the Evenepoel that rode to the podium at the Tour de France, whilst in the past week he's seemingly struggled in the Italian classics he raced in. Tre Valli Varesine would've been a good test in a race that suited him, but the heavy rain caused the race to bee cancelled.

Evenepoel is tired, his team has said so and he does not hide it. "I had the serious injury in April, then the build-up to the Tour and a longer period of top level, then also some illness ... It's going with ups and downs now. But I'm hopeful that I can have a good day tomorrow and achieve a good result."

The riders will climb up the Colma di Sormano, where the main attacks are expected and the Belgian double Olympic champion will have to go to the llimit, before descent and hilly finale into Como. "That will be a spectacular climb of about 30 minutes. After that, some organisation can return and it might still be possible to come together. But if Tadej has his legs from the Tour, it will be very difficult to follow him."

In 2020 he crashed in the descent of Sormano, fracturing his pelvis and threatening his career when he fell into a ravine. "That chapter is closed," he assures. "Since that fall, I have achieved quite a few great things. It was special to ride over that bridge again this week, but it's not like I'm shaking on my bike"

Tadej Pogacar is the favourite in the eyes of all riders, Evenepoel is no exception: "It's logical that he's the favorite, when you see how he's been riding this year. He's had nothing ahead of him, not a single fall, not a single broken thing... It's a season that may never be repeated, by him, or by anyone in general."

He was also asked by reporters what would follow the season, but Evenepoel doesn't make big plans for the time being as he will above all devote time to his family. "We still have to see. It is also an important year at home in terms of studies, because Oumi (Evenepoel's wife, ed.) is in her final year of her master's degree. She needs to know what is possible, I fully support her in that."