Remco Evenepoel joins INEOS Grenadiers' Laurens De Plus for training ride in Belgium

Remco Evenepoel is now just a month away from his Tour de France debut and the Belgian, who hasn't been seen in a race since crashing out of the Itzulia Basque Country earlier this year is stepping up his preparations.

On Monday afternoon, the Soudal - Quick-Step leader took on a pre-Tour de France training ride with compatriot Laurens De Plus of the INEOS Grenadiers in Belgium. Evenepoel has longed been linked with a transfer to the team of De Plus and although there was surely no 'tapping up' done on the training ride an cappuccino stop-off, it's interesting to see the Belgian National Champion riding alongside riders in the INEOS Grenadiers colours.

"A cappuccino can still taste eh," De Plus captions an image of Evenepoel sipping a coffee adorned with a foam moustache after having taken his first taste. ''Lots of chatting, little cycling,'' Evenepoel himself replies, clearly in high spirits.

Evenepoel is set to make a long-awaited return to racing from injury after his crash at the Itzulia Basque Country, at the 2024 Criterium du Dauphine where he will head-to-head with fellow Maillot Jaune contender, Primoz Roglic.

Taking on just shy of 60km in this latest ride, Evenepoel and De Plus didn't exactly go full gas, taking nearly two hours to complete their efforts, but with this coming just a few days after the former world champion posted a monster training ride to his own Strava account over last weekend, Evenepoel seems to be fully recovered and in good shape ahead of his first crack at the Tour de France.