"You need to think more than just cycling" - Remco Evenepoel on how he deals with extreme pressure; UAE climbs and Isaac del Toro

The UAE Tour starts this Monday and Remco Evenepoel will be the men with the most eyes on him. The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe has talked about dealing with pressure and balancing the life on the bike with the outside; the race's route and his search for progress ahead of his return to the Tour de France.

Evenepoel has started off his season in a way most could only dream of, winning two (whilst being part of the TTT win) races at the Challenge Mallorca; the time trial, queen stage and overall classification at the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana. His form his spotless and the motivation is present.

At the start of the Emirati race, there is little reason not to see him as the man to beat. “As always, I’ll try to win, no matter what. I want to have another good week with the team, grab some wins and make progress," Evenepoel said in an interview with Sporza.

The Belgian seems to be having his best season start ever, and is keen on taking the momentum to start winning big. “This is a WorldTour race, and at this stage of my career, WorldTour victories are more important to me than ProTour victories.This was also a race we wanted to win as a team, so the choice to come here was quite easy.”

It also fits in his plan perfectly, in which there is a specific training block focused in his overall climbing, which will culminate with the Volta a Catalunya where he will look to battle Jonas Vingegaard, among others, in a race with plenty high mountains in its route. He will later on race the Ardennes before taking rest and the preparation block towards the Tour de France.

At the UAE however, only one team seems to be a reason for concern. Naturally, that is UAE Team Emirates - XRG. “They’re definitely strong with Isaac del Toro and Adam Yates, who wasn’t bad in Oman," the Belgian said in a pre-race press conference. "On paper, it’s logical that it will be a battle with Isaac, but someone else could always take the win, like Lennert Van Eetvelt has already done here. I’m not writing anyone off.”

The stage 2 time trial could already see him gain an advantage on the competition, but he is well aware that it is not enough to make him safe towards the rest of the race. “There aren't many corners in the time trial, and that could be to my advantage. It could have been longer than 12 kilometers, but you have to make do with what you get. I'm trying to win that stage and gain time there.”

The ascent to Jebel Mobrah, over 13 kilometers at 8% (whilst the last 6 average around 12%) will be decisive and above all, a pure climbing test, where the individual legs will matter, and team support won't be of much.

“That unknown final climb will be a specific effort. That’s why I also participated in the races in Mallorca, where there was also a 15 kilometer climb, though with different percentages.”

It is a start to the season that so far has been spotless, and much of that is due to his good health. "For sure, compared to last year, it's a big difference. I think last year, at this time, I was riding my bike for only four or five days at this moment," the Olympic Champion shared with Cyclingnews.

Last fall his form was superb, and only Tadej Pogacar prevented him from going on a winning streak that would've marked an era - he won the World and European time-trial championships; whilst finishing a solo second at the road race events and also Il Lombardia. Afterwards, he hasn't put a foot wrong since.

"I finished the season quite strong as well, with all the Championships. I went into the winter with a very good feeling. Then the buildup was smooth, my first races were smooth, so I think till here, everything has been more or less perfect".

"I think getting answers early in the season is always easier to deal with than having no answers, or having bad answers, of course. Getting five wins is also good for the head and for the team. I hope I can keep that up and make sure that I stay healthy, stay on the bike. I think that's what's most important."

Amongst the questions was also how Evenepoel deals with the pressure, specially in a rider who has been under intense spotlight since 18 years of age. "I think every rider, but also every human being, in general, handles mental pressure differently. So for sure, it's difficult for me to say how you should do it, but the way I do it is just when there's a time that I don't have to be thinking about cycling, I will not think about it at all, and I will just enjoy my time next to the bike".

His response was complex, with the Belgian opening up about his priorities outside of the bike, something which helps him balance the professional and personal life. "Because, of course, we are also just normal people".

"So let's say that cycling is for a few years in our life, but being a partner of somebody, or a son, or at some point a father is for always. So you need to think more than just cycling, and that's the way that I handle it and the way that I deal with it."