Remco Evenepoel in need "to go to the Tour de France next year", DS Lodewyck admits

The Tour de France will inevitably be part of Remco Evenepoel's future goals. The World Champion is yet to make a debut in the Grand Boucle, and there is a lot of discussion and changes within Soudal - Quick-Step to make sure the team can support winning ambitions in the mountains.

"We made a good transfer with Jan Hirt, who will start in the Giro. But some reinforcement is definitely needed for uphill," team DS Klaas Lodewyck told the Sporza Koers podcast. “We need someone who can really lead uphill, if they are left with seven or eight riders, like a Laurens De Plus at INEOS Grenadiers," he mentioned as an example. 

A team that has for many years only focused on the classics, sprints and time-trials, are now faced with a Grand Tour specialist and stage-racer of the very highest level. Patrick Lefevere has full confidence in Evenepoel and to not support the Belgian is not an option, specially after victory at the Vuelta a Espana.

Although there, modest support was enough as both Jumbo-Visma and Movistar also lacked the depth, that won't be the case at the Tour de France, where both Jumbo-Visma and UAE Team Emirates are capable of deploying several world-class climbers at once.

That was one of the reasons why Evenepoel stuck to his plan and is racing the Giro d'Italia this year. A more suiting route is the main case, but the support of Jan Hirt, Ilan van Wilder and Fausto Masnada cannot be compared to that of Yates, McNulty and Majka for Pogacar; or van Aert, Kuss, Kruijswijk and perhaps Roglic for Vingegaard.

"There are others who can, but the duration of the contract and the price play a major role in this. The transfer we make should not be a gamble," Lodewyck says, knowing the team has to strike big this upcoming winter. "That must be full on it. If you want to go to the Tour de France next year, you really need a team that is competitive. We now have time to find the right profile. Hopefully that will work. You have to find someone with the right attitude. Not someone who thinks he will fill his pockets with us for a few more years. We are not interested in that”

Sacrifices will likely be needed in order to free up budget, however Evenepoel's influence is certain to change the team's looks into 2024. This year however more steps will be on the way. The World champion is starting the UAE Tour tomorrow as one of the big favourites, as will be the case in May at the Giro d'Italia.

“I will be satisfied if we finish that race with a top-10 or top-5, we had good days and learned a lot, but the opposition was better," Lodewyck says, bringing down the expectations - and pressure on the 23-year old. "Then you should call it a success. Everything that comes with it, stage victory, podium or even the overall victory, would be the max.”