🇧🇪 Who’s going to support @EvenepoelRemco on the #TDF2024? Qui va supporter @EvenepoelRemco sur le #TDF2024 ? Best results : 🌈 2022 road race World Champion ❤️ 2022 @lavuelta GC winner 👵 2-time winner of #LBL (2022 - 2023) 🇧🇪 2023 Belgian road race champion
Remco Evenepoel ready for Tour de France mountains: "With the weight of the Dauphine I would never be able to follow the top riders in the Tour"
CyclingThursday, 27 June 2024 at 10:38
Remco Evenepoel has had to overcome a few obstacles ahead of his Tour de Frace debut but all signs point towards him being ready. The Soudal - Quick-Step rider has successfully managed to control the expectations that up until a few years ago haunted his Grand Tour appearances, and enters the French race with open arms to what may come.
The Belgian rider was sick last week however. “I was really sick. It was no lie. Many riders came out of the Dauphiné with a cold. Some even with something worse. I was lucky that it never really broke out for me, until I trained in bad weather for a few days after the Dauphiné and it happened anyway," Evenepoel said in conversation with Het Nieuwsblad. “I was never super sick, but I did have a slightly elevated heart rate. I was really sick. Honestly: I would have much rather ridden the Belgian national championships."
Some argued that the illness was an excuse not to make the trip to Belgium - as Belgium made the appearance at the national's mandatory except for cases of injury and illness - so as to have a few more days to prepare for the Tour, but Evenepoel refuses it. After the Dauphiné, where he won the time-trial but finished seventh in the overall classification, he spent some time at altitude in Isola 2000 - where Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates were also based since early June.
“It was great. We started and finished with bad weather, which was of course less. But in general I was able to train well and take good care of myself," he said, also sharing that he has lost weight when comparing to the Dauphiné where he struggled on the climbs. "I really did my best and achieved what I was looking for. It was also necessary. With the weight of the Dauphiné I would never be able to follow the top riders in the Tour. I had work, but I succeeded. That is positive.”
Evenepoel will have the support of Mikel Landa, Ilan van Wilder and Mattia Cattaneo in the mountains whilst experienced rouleurs such as Yves Lampaert, Casper Pedersen and late selection Gianni Moscon will protect him on the flat days and who knows, provide a platform to attack the gravel stage. “I think that – given the resources we have – we will start with the best possible team. Unfortunately, Mattia Cattaneo is ill and cannot join us. That is certainly a great loss, but Louis Vervaeke may be able to take on his work," he continnues.
"Our team is very stable and experienced. There is a bit of everything in it: Yves Lampaert, Gianni Moscon and Casper Pedersen as rouleurs and men to work. And with Mikel Landa, Jan Hirt and Ilan Van Wilder there are three pure climbers."
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- Il faut une enquête antidopage complète sur (au moins) PogacarFredoFredo07-11-2024
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- the “cloud of shame” thing has a lot to do with the cycling world’s REACTION to a doped rider, not simply whether or not they doped. merckx got caught over and over, but clearly no cloud of shame affixed by cycling culture to him. same with countless tdf champions and other legends i won’t list again at risk of belaboring the point.OCexile07-11-2024
- He was supposed to race Tour + Vuelta, but since Pogacar and Vingegaard are going there, he changed to Giro + Tour (just to try to win the yellow jersey at the 1st week and the ITT probably). Against Roglic he has a bit more chances in Italy. Press will consider him as the favourite anyways, as usual. Other contenders not to underestimate will be Ayuso and Jorgenson. Now he's just waiting to see how many kilometers the ITTs will have. to formalize his participation.Acapulco07-11-2024
- Oh look. CUD leans into another doper for commentary. Hey guys - there are other people to talk to... You know... people who didn't leave the sport in a cloud of shame...critguy07-11-2024
- Its results will mainly depend on him, though.Acapulco07-11-2024
- He needs a team fully commited where he is the lone capable of winning. In RBB there is several men who can, he would have been in competition.Acapulco07-11-2024
- agreed. and in spite of his doping, his TDF win was validated by the UCI with the mere addition of an asterisk.OCexile07-11-2024