Remco Evenepoel officially ruled out of the Clasica San Sebastian after Tour de France nightmare

In less than 24 hours, confusion surrounding Remco Evenepoel's plans turned into a minor soap opera. A day after his coach told HLN there was “no possibility that the Belgian would compete” in the Clasica de San Sebastian, race organisers claimed the opposite, announcing his participation during their event presentation. The contradiction fuelled speculation about the star's recovery and racing calendar. That speculation ended when Soudal - Quick-Step revealed its official roster for the Spanish classic, and Evenepoel is not on it.

Soudal Quick-Step named seven riders for the Donostiako Klasikoa: Gianmarco Garofoli, Gil Gelders, Antoine Huby, William Junior Lecerf, Pieter Serry, Mauri Vansenevant, and Louis Vervaecke.

Meanwhile, the double Olympic champion has no scheduled races for August. A possible return at the Vuelta a España 2025 at this point looks unlikely, but not completely impossible. Without Tadej Pogacar in the mix, Evenepoel’s odds of reclaiming the red jersey improve, though he would still have to contend with Jonas Vingegaard, along with UAE's Joao Almeida and Juan Ayuso.

His next confirmed outings will be in Rwanda at the World Championships, where he'll compete in both the time trial (where he goes in search of a third title) and the road race from September 21 to 28. After that, he’s slated for the European Championships from October 1 to 5, again taking part in both disciplines.