Remco Evenepoel looks to put behind Giro dell'Emilia disaster and leads Soudal - Quick-Step at Coppa Bernocchi

The Italian Autumn classics are in full swing. Today is the Coppa Agostoni, but Soudal - Quick-Step have announced that after the Giro dell'Emilia, Remco Evenepoel will also be leading the Belgian team at the Coppa Bernocchi this Monday as the main favourite ahead of Il Lombardia.

This Saturday's race did not go the way the Olympic Champion planned. Entering the final circuit in Bologna, Evenepoel straight away hit the front of the peloton in the first ascent to San Luca with a move, but then did not follow as Tadej Pogacar followed an Astana rider a few meters later. Pogacar raced away with the win, once again, and shortly after Evenepoel's name would appear on the DNF list. Likely he avoided taking many risks - both regarding crashes and his health - in the race where the weather conditions were horrible.

In Bernocchi he finds a less difficult startlist and also a more suiting route; and the Belgian team will have two more big weapons in Mattia Cattaneo and Mauri Vansevenant who are capable riders in the hilly terrain and can assist to the team's aggressive strategies. Concluding the team are Fausto Masnada and youngsters Pepijn Reinderink and Andrea Raccagni.

Team DS Davide Bramati said, in the press release issued by the team: “In the past three seasons, we won twice and racked up a total of four podium finishes in Bernocchi, so it goes without saying this is a race we like a lot and where we hope to be again in contention for a good result, on what will be a demanding and quite selective parcours. Things didn’t go as planned for us in Emilia, but that’s cycling, and this only motivates us even more for Monday.,

Soudal - Quick-Step to Coppa Bernocchi:
Remco Evenepoel
Mattia Cattaneo
Antoine Huby
Fausto Masnada
Andrea Raccagni
Pepijn Reinderink
Mauri Vansevenant