28/04/2022

Tour de France - “No, we are not going to do that” Remco Evenepoel says

The Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team rider has dismissed the idea that he would be partaking in the upcoming Tour de France. Remco Evenepoel will follow his initial plan for the season, despite calls on social media arguing the logic behind a possible chance.

In an interview on Extra Time Koers, Evenepoel has discussed the scenario that had been building up over the last few days on social media that Evenepoel could target the Tour de France as it is unlikely that Julian Alaphilippe will miss it after suffering serious injuries at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. “No, we are not going to do that, we haven't even thought about it yet and we won't really," Evenepoel confirmed.

A successful change? Evenepoel "will no longer strive for that Giro weight from last year"

With his sights now on the second part of his season which will include the Tour of Norway, Tour de Suisse and Belgian national championships, the 22-year old has insisted that his plan has already been made several months ago and there is no intention of changing it. “The plan is fixed. Klaas [Lodewyck] said in an interview that last year we made the mistake of changing and switching plans too much. We keep the tight schedule with the appropriate altitude training and the Vuelta [a España].

Following the second block of the season, he will then move onto focusing on the Vuelta a España: "...This is followed by the Clásica San Sebastián, the Tour of Burgos and then the Vuelta. It doesn't make much sense to change the schedule, because all the races I've ridden were very intensive. From Valencia to Liège, everything was with very high average wattages and heartbeats. I need rest now.”

Making the best out of a bad situation: Matteo Jorgenson eyeing Tour de France debut

In the interview, he was also asked about a return to Il Lombardia, where he crashed down a ravine in 2020 sustaining heavy injuries that finished his season. Last year he finished 19th, and he is eyeing more this year. “Not as revenge or anything, but because that is a course that you can compare with Liège. Even more difficult, so I'm going to have to get a little stronger for that. But especially the symbolism of still winning there would be nice," he concluded.