Having barely got off the bike for his last race of the season, Remco Evenepoel was already beginning to anticipate the work to come for the next few years. Second in the Tour of Lombardy this Saturday behind an untouchable Tadej Pogacar, the double Olympic champion, time and road, this summer in Paris was “satisfied” with the result.
“We expected this scenario and it happened as planned. When he (Pogacar) attacked I couldn’t follow. I preferred to climb at my own pace and it was the right decision. In the last climb I was dead but fortunately I had enough lead to defend my second place”, commented the Belgian upon arrival in Como who achieved his best result on the classic of the dead leaves after having almost done so. losing his life in 2020 on the descent of the Sormano pass.
“Finish races with more freshness”
But the former football player was quick to announce the work he would be doing over the winter. “I need to work on becoming a better climber and finishing races fresher,” Evenepoel added.
A statement that echoes his statements after his third place in the Tour de France in July behind Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard: “I need to do more training at altitude. UAE, Visma-Lease a bike, Movistar or Ineos Grenadiers have more experience on the Grand Tours. We have to learn with the team how to become even better in these races. We have to build on the future with this Tour and I have to improve to be even better. »
The arrival last year of the Spaniard Mikel Landa and the recruits from Haut-Savoyard Valentin Paret-Peintre and the German Maximilian Schachmann, Soudal Quick-Step has greatly strengthened Evenepoel’s close guard to enable him to to seek another victory in a Grand Tour after his coronation in the Vuelta in 2022.
