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Remco Evenepoel "will have to take a very big step" to fight for Tour de France win, expert says
CyclingMonday, 10 June 2024 at 12:50
Two months after fracturing his collarbone and shoulder blade, Remco Evenepoel returned to competition at the Criterium du Dauphiné with modest ambitions but with some success. He won the race's time-trial and wore the yellow jersey. He failed to keep it in the mountains but shrugged off his seventh place in the overall classification.
The Belgian did not have the best start to the race, and he voiced out that he just wanted to take the race day by day, and attempted to take the pressure away from his shoulders at every obstacle. This became harder when he won the time-trial, but the Soudal - Quick-Step argued that his level at the Dauphiné was not the best. On stage 6 he lost the yellow jersey but finished among the best losing only 42 seconds to Primoz Roglic, but the following day in Samoëns 1600 he encountered more serious difficulties.
“With Evenepoel, you can say that we haven't seen the back of his tongue yet," Thijs Zonneveld said in the Het Wiel podcast. "Not that that gives us much confidence now." Evenepoel's Tour de France is met with very high expectations from many, but he himself believes that a stage win and Top5 is a realistic ambition. Judging by this year's results, matching the likes of Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard in the high mountains seems to be a stretch.
The Belgian team had it's Tour block present in France, with Mikel Landa showing good level after also injuring himself at Itzulia, but with Ilan van Wilder abandoning the race after appearing far from his best.
"It will also be difficult for him to make up for this if he really wants to compete for the main prize. Then he will have to take a very big step. Only Roglic did make an all-out effort on Sunday," he concluded.
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- Thanks Dadmobk22-12-2024
- Hard to believe with the advancment of modern medicine he can not find a cause for this.frieders321-12-2024
- You continue to platform these two cheats. With that in mind I can no longer use your site. I know my leaving means little, but, sometimes you have to take a stand. See ya!DJ21-12-2024
- Look at what Froome’s won since his last TdF, stop denying there is still more than possible one outcome to the future.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- Bruyneel understands nothing about clean competition.Sweep21-12-2024
- Exactly. Remco won 3 WT races/stages last year compared to Pogocar's 19. Remco's single stage win in last years TdF earned him a meager 12 seconds over Pogocar who shellac'd him by 9 minutes in GC.Sweep21-12-2024
- Fortunately and as you point out, more than one strategy is possible and worth trying and I’m sure all concerned riders are well informed and counselled on this subject and don’t need such basic personal advice through media from an outsider.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- The main SPOTY award is "decided" by public vote but the BBC "expert panel" decide who you can choose from, that choice has an equal split of genders and is focussed on the sports BBC show and a disabled athlete. Oh yea the ubiquitous "Pub Games" candidate there too, Darts and Snooker are not sports. The other awards are decided by the "Expert Panel" again it's about the sports BBC show, cycling has had it. Cav got his for his years and achievements in the sport, not just that 35th TDF win. Unless the BBC get access to Pro Cycling it will never feature "adequately" on SPOTYslappers6621-12-2024
- Ahhh..... you have to understand the "strange" diversity concepts of the BBCslappers6621-12-2024
- Avoiding him is a good strategy, you get more wins and then you can compete in the TDF relatively relaxed. Pit yourself against Pogi and not only there will be no wins, it will be considerable mental setbackabstractengineer21-12-2024