Remco Evenepoel was scheduled to race Flèche Wallone but "he opted to make the best possible use of his time on Teide", DS Peeters reveals

Remco Evenepoel is riding to try and defend his title at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in anticipation to the Giro d'Italia. Although racing the Ardennes is not the typical run-up for the Giro contenders Evenepoel has a special motivation, but he has opted not to race Flèche Wallone thinking of the big picture.

"Remco appeared in the base plan as one of our cards for the Fléche Wallone. In the end, he opted to make the best possible use of his time on Teide and aim for the maximum altitude effect ahead of the Giro d'Italia," team DS Wilfried Peeters told Het Laatste Nieuws. The Belgian has spent several weeks at altitude in Tenerife together with several riders who he will race with at the Corsa Rosa, and has returned to mainland Europe this week.

Whilst the likes of Ilan van Wilder and Louis Vervaeke, who will join him next month, are racing Fléche Wallone, the World Champion opted not to. The profile is not as well suited to him, ending in the steep Mur de Huy in a race that doesn't often provide good chances for early attacks, and he's opted to follow a similar path to last year's Vuelta a Espana win, where he raced only the Clásica San Sebastian beforehand.

"Experience tells us that Remco responds very well to such an altitude training and needs little or no adjustment. That became clear recently, when he traveled directly from Tenerife to the Volta a Catalunya and was fine from day one," Peeters confirmed. Evenepoel is for the time being still set to be the leader of Soudal - Quick-Step for Liège-Bastogne-Liège.