Remco Evenepoel wore a COVID-19 face masks as he spoke to the Tour de France media within the Palazzo Vecchio within the Renaissance coronary heart of Florence, eager to keep away from catching a virus so near the beginning of his first Tour de France.
Lidl-Trek misplaced Tao Geoghegan Hart to COVID-19 after the Critérium du Dauphiné and his teammates Mads Pedersen and Giulio Ciccone additionally caught the virus however are driving the Tour. Visma-Lease a Bike have returned to carrying masks after Sepp Kuss was compelled to overlook the Tour attributable to struggling with COVID-19.
Evenepoel is just not taking any dangers however is just not sick.
“It’s about being cautious,” he mentioned from behind his pink masks, sweating within the warmth of the packed room.
“I don’t wish to finish the Tour like final 12 months’s Giro. I needed to really feel a bit safer within the press convention. We’re going to have a variety of contact with individuals for a number of hours through the group presentation, too, so carrying a masks is only a warning. I don’t wish to scare those who I’m sick, I’m high-quality, however I’m cautious.”
Evenepoel has received the Vuelta a España and different main races however admitted, with lower than 48 hours to the beginning of this 12 months’s Tour, that he’s beginning to perceive the ‘grandeur’ of the most important race within the sport.
“The first second once I actually began to really feel the significance of the Tour was once I entered this room,” he mentioned.
“It’s the primary time I’ve seen so many individuals in a press convention. The group presentation will probably be massive, too. But there’s no stress up to now, and I really feel fairly relaxed.”
The 24-year-old Belgian not too long ago in contrast UAE Team Emirates to Real Madrid in a soccer analogy and now described his Soudal-QuickStep group as an underdog.
“We’re an underdog group as a result of we don’t have the large star riders like they’ve, however now we have the psychological power and a variety of expertise, too,” he mentioned, displaying pleasure within the eight-rider Soudal-QuickStep line-up.
“Yves Lampert is doing his fifth Tour, Mikel Landa is doing what looks as if his two hundredth Tour and Moscon too. We have a variety of expertise.”
Evenepoel set himself modest however necessary objectives for his Tour debut.
“A stage win and to make it to Nice can be successful, to enhance myself as a GC rider,” he mentioned.
“I wish to turn into a greater rider in comparison with the perfect guys and decide up some outcomes. But driving the GC is about three weeks, not two days, however we’re ready for it.”
Even if Evenepoel endures a nasty day, he won’t ease up like he did throughout final 12 months’s Vuelta. He will struggle on and undergo.
“I’m right here for an excellent GC outcome. My preparation for final 12 months’s Vuelta was totally different, I didn’t really feel the identical. We’ll take a distinct method right here for positive and never let it go like that day. We’ll see, however I hope I’m not dropped once more.”
Evenepoel mentioned he was mentally prepared for the testing gravel stage on the finish of the primary week and for the opening stage to Rimini and Bologna when the rolling terrain and late climbs of San Luca close to Bologna may see the Tour blow up very early.
True to character, Evenepoel spoke bluntly, particularly about defending Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard and the best way Visma-Lease a Bike seem to have performed down his possibilities after his horrible crash on the Itzulia Bsasque Country.
“If we consider the Visma group, he’s nowhere, they mentioned he’s not even right here to struggle for the rostrum. Their explanations are unusual,” Evenepoel mentioned.
“But it’s Jonas Vingeggard, so I believe he’ll find yourself right here to struggle with the perfect and within the combine for the Tour de France victory for positive.”
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