"Remco should not go to the Tour de France" - Philippe Gilbert

After Remco Evenepoel's abandon from the Giro d'Italia we begin to wonder what his next move will be. That has not been decided yet, and won't likely for the upcoming weeks, however Philippe Gilbert gives his opinion what the World Champion should race in the upcoming months and it does not include the Tour de France.

"Remco should not go to the Tour de France. I would restart at the Tour of Belgium and the Belgian time trial championship," Gilbert told Eurosport. “I would then go two or three weeks in altitude to prepare the second part of the season. I would start again at the Tour de Wallonie which is the best preparation for the Clasica San Sebastian – and the ideal preparation for the World Championship.

Gilbert, a mentor of Evenepoel in his early years, suggests that he sticks with his initial schedule which includes the World Championships and Il Lombardia, foregoing the Grand Tours despite the absence of an important result in the Giro d'Italia. Other figures in Belgium suggest that he races the Tour de France this summer, arguing it can be the only opportunity to race it without pressure. The Vuelta a Espana title defense is also a card on the table, all of which will be considered by Soudal - Quick-Step.

“I was in the room with him when he finished second in England," Gilbert said of the 2019 time-trial World Championships. "It was a big disappointment for him. Being a time trial world champion is very important for him. He could double with the road race with the right preparation," he concluded, believing that there is one clear goal that the 23-year old should have ahead of the summer.