A very intense return: 10 days of racing in 17 days
Unfortunately used to having to rebuild a condition after blows from fate (his serious fall in the Tour of Lombardy in 2020, that of the Tour of the Basque Country last year and his accident, in training, this winter), Remco Evenepoel was well ready for his return. With ups and downs as he announced. Very high, even, during this comeback on the hyper-worked calendar. And stockings not very low, with his ninth place in the Walloon arrow, on which he had suffered from the cold, and his day without in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, while he could not follow the best on the queen stage of the Romandie Tour while managing his climb well. Since he found the peloton on the Brabançonne arrow, on Friday April 18, he chained four classics in nine days. While leaving in the process directly for the six stages of the Tour de Romandie. In seventeen days, the double Olympic champion therefore pinned a bib ten times to his Soudal-Quick Step jersey.
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Two victories and confidence
His return had been euphoric with his victory, from the outset, almost at home, on the Brabançonne arrow, at the end of this winning sprint against Wout Van Aert in person. Remco Evenepoel had added a beautiful classic to its already well supplied list. With more success, if he had not been involved in a fall, he could certainly have been closer to the victory at the Amstel Gold Race. Where he gained confidence by realizing what nobody seemed possible: to return to Tadej Pogacar while the Slovenian had left alone. Remco Evenepoel still established itself on the Tour de Romandie. On the final time trial, honoring his jersey of world champion in the discipline. “”This time victory really did him good “commented, to our colleagues from NewspaperSon Director Sportif Klaas Lodewyck. “And physically too, he achieved his goal on this Tour de Romandie: progressing every day, improving on the bicycle, gaining endurance in the race, suffering … He needed it and he will harvest the fruit later. “
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The two nationals on its program
If it is at rest this week before leaving for Sierra Nevada for an altitude internship of three weeks, Remco Evenepoel confirmed the rest of his program before the Tour de France, where he will seek to compete even more with Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. He will find the peloton on the Critérium du Dauphiné, which he had discovered last year, before aligning himself at the two Belgian championships. Unlike last year, when he had overlooked the two national tests. Or that of the time trial, scheduled for Friday, June 27 in Brasschaat (it will be his fourth participation after his 3rd place in 2019, his 2nd position in 2021, his victory in 2022 and his 4th place in 2023, when he had dropped). And the one on the road, on an edition that promises to be intense (and festive!), In Binche, Sunday, June 29. It will also be his fifth participation in this National Road (he won there in 2023 and finished 3rd in 2021). “”It is clear that he has a lot of work left, but he has time for the Tour de France “Conclut Klaas Lodewyck.
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