"Remco is better prepared than last year" - Evenepoel's coach is optimistic ahead of Tour de France

Remco Evenepoel will be defending last year's podium spot at the upcoming Tour de France. But it's not been a smooth run up to the Grande Boucle. Mikel Landa was going to once again be Evenepoel's key domestique, but after crashing out of the Giro d'Italia, that possibility can be almost entirely ruled out. Although the loss is very sensitive, the Belgian's coach has sent a serious warning to his rivals: Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard.

"Remco is better prepared than he was last year. Then he started late in the high altitude training camp for the Criterium du Dauphiné, had difficulties at the beginning of that camp and really wasn't where we expected him to be," Koen Pelgrim began in an interview Het Nieuwsblad.

"After the accumulation of races in the spring, the rest week suited him very well and he was able to start the high altitude preseason at a pretty good level. In that sense, he is already a step ahead of last year," Remco Evenepoel's coach added about the cyclist.

In December, Remco suffered a serious training injury. The Belgian missed the first few months of the season until he returned in April. Some claimed that this would affect him for the Tour de France, but nothing could be further from the truth. Evenepoel will be ready to duel with Pogacar, Vingegaard and whoever else rises up to challenge the 25-year-old at the Tour de France 2025.

"You can get back to a good level relatively quickly, but it's those last few percentages that are crucial. To do that, you have to be able to train consistently over a long period of time. We hope that Remco can gain those last two or three percentages in the next few weeks," concluded the Belgian's coach.