Remco Evenepoel on his Catalunya battle with Roglic: "The outside world should not focus too much on just two riders"

The Volta a Catalunya starts tomorrow, and the main contenders for the Giro d'Italia will be battling here for the overall win. Among them are Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic, and their duel has been the target of many questions before the race.

“Why wouldn't I like to take on the duel? The better the opposition, the better I know where I stand," Evenepoel told Sporza on the eve of the Catalan race. "From me, all top riders can come to Catalunya. I shouldn't be afraid to take on the duel with them. The outside world should not focus too much on just two riders."

With three high mountain stages - and the final dangerous day in Barcelona - and many GC riders on their best form, it will be a very adequate test for the rest of the season. As many riders will focus on training camps during April for their Giro d'Italia preparation, a lot come here as their final test before taking some rest and beginning the final preparation.

“My form is possibly even better than last month," Evenepoel, winner of the UAE Tour, continued. He was up in altitude following his triumph in the Middle East. "My strength is good, maybe even better than expected. We still have to lose a bit of weight, but that is a matter of time and fine-tuning on altitude training for the Grand Tours.”

Hence this will be a key test ahead of May, specially as Soudal - Quick-Step come with a stacked team of climbers. Among them are Jan Hirt, Ilan van Wilder and Mattia Cattaneo, and this should be the team's main block for the Corsa Rosa. They will be testing their strengths as the team tries to support Evenepoel as best as possible.

“Our team is very similar to that of the Vuelta and we showed how strong we are. I see it as a good test in the run-up to the Giro. I will try to win a stage and get on the podium in the final standings. If we succeed in that, I think we can be satisfied," he concluded.