Remco Evenepoel keeps his ambitions hidden ahead of Tour de France: "We will know what the final result will be on 21 July"

Remco Evenepoel is making his Tour de France debut this summer. Naturally, this is a hotly anticipated moment for cycling fans who have been for years waiting for this to happen. However it leads to incredible amounts of pressure and attention, and the Soudal - Quick-Step is keen on keeping his thoughts and ambitions to himself and the team.

Evenepoel is a rider who can aim to win Grand Tours, but his versatility also sees him as the reigning time-trial World Champion, as well as double Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner. He has the chance to build a relatively unique palmarès when it comes to modern cycling, “but let’s start at the beginning," Evenepoel said in an interview with RIDE Magazine. "And try to build up as best as possible in the run-up to the Tour. We will know what the final result will be on 21 July.”

After crashing out of the Itzulia Basque Country in the spring, the race where he would have the most accurate test of form ahead of the Tour de France against Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard; he took some weeks to rest and recover from a fractured shoulder blade and collarbone. After a long altitude training camp in May together with his Tour block - and Mikel Landa, who managed to also recover after a separate crash at Itzulia - everything seems to be back on track for the Belgian team. At the time being, they are headlining a very competitive Criterium du Dauphiné.

"I naturally have few explosive muscle fibers. By working hard on them, I become a little stronger and faster every year," Evenepoel also added, explaining a bit of his transition over the past few years into an explosive rider who packs a strong sprint. “When I go to the finish with a group in a tough mountain stage where bonus seconds are waiting on the line, that speed can come in handy.”