Remco Evenepoel "lightest I’ve been all year" eyeing Vuelta a Espana debut

Saturday, 30 July 2022 at 11:30

Remco Evenepoel will be in competition today at the Clasica San Sebastian leading Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team however he has his sights firm on the coming months where he will look to take an important step in his development.

“It’s difficult to say I have a specific GC goal at the start of the race. If I can go out of the Vuelta with a stage win or two, then you speak about it being a good Vuelta," Evenepoel said regarding the Vuelta a Espana during the pre-race press conference in the Basque Country. "The main thing is to win a stage. The GC will be extra".

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The Spanish race is likely to be he only one in anticipation to the Vuelta, as he's talked about the preparation going into the race: “It’s been quite a while since I raced. After the Belgian nationals I had a few days off the bike, and I traveled to Livigno for three weeks, with long quiet climbing trainings, not much intensity. I’ve been building up a really big base, but nothing specific for this race".

Hence, despite being a favourite for today's race, Quick-Step will surely give freedom to it's other options such as Mikkel Honoré and Fausto Masnada. The Belgian is gearing up to the Vuelta, although having won in 2019 he will surely try to repeat the success. “I had two weeks with 30 hours of training. This week I have only 10 hours of training, and that makes me fresh for tomorrow’s race,” he added.

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“I will keep it like this going into the Vuelta. I have a long fall season, with the Vuelta and then the worlds, so that’s a long, five-week period where I need to perform. The final week of the Vuelta will decide everything, so I want to be as fresh as possible at the start of the race," Evenepoel explained. Having ridden the Giro d'Italia last year, he's looking to slowly grow through his career before heading to the Tour de France.

“I am at the lightest I’ve been all year. Now I am more specific on diet and training to lose muscle mass, to lose weight ahead of the Vuelta," he revealed. He will be hoping the change makes a difference when the race reaches the high mountains where he hasn't managed to thrive over the last few years. "I am still very young, and in the beginning, I was not really knowing how to adapt myself to diet going into some races. That’s not any issue anymore and now I can deal with the body weight.”

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“It is my big dream to stand on a podium at a grand tour. It’s a road that is taking me to these big goals. It can be a long process, but I enjoy racing, I enjoy the challenge. Let’s see how far I can go," he concluded.