Remco Evenepoel recovered from Covid-19, Lefevere confirms no more Grand Tours in 2023, World Championships the main goal

Remco Evenepoel will not race either the Tour de France or Vuelta a Espana. Patrick Lefevere has confirmed the World Champion will remain relatively loyal to his initial scheduled drawn out for the season, with the World Championships now being the main goal on his mind.

"If he doesn't shine there, many will shoot him with bazookas," Lefevere shared with Het Nieuwsblad. "Remco has already won the Vuelta a Espana. So no one would accept any other outcome from him. Moreover, it would again require quite heavy and very specific preparation.” The manager of Soudal - Quick-Step

It was said that a return at the Critérium du Dauphiné would be too early for the Belgian who has now tested negative for Covid-19 after abandoning the Giro. “On Thursday he tested negative for the first time. We therefore think that he has been ill for a total of five days. On Tuesday in particular, the symptoms were the strongest: headache and sore throat, in addition to great fatigue," he reports. "But now he's better. We will let him rest all weekend and he will have heart tests early next week.”

A return is likely at the national championships, or just before that. Evenepoel is skipping the Tour de France as Lefevere anticipates a lot of media pressure and will instead choose a specific preparation path for the World Championships which are to take place in early August. The Tour of Britain is also likely on his schedule, with no Vuelta a Espana return as it is quite possible that he will then be aiming at the European Championships and Il Lombardia.