The curtain is on the purpose of falling on a really outstanding season for Remco Evenepoel, with a stage triumph and podium end in his first Tour de France, two Olympic gold medals and a repeat of his World Championships Time Trial title as the best of many highlights.
But relating to Il Lombardia and the Soudal-QuickStep chief’s closing race of his landmark, however rollercoaster, 2024? As weariness from a 12 months which has additionally included a tricky crash and accidents this April, no one is actually certain, to the purpose the place, as Evenepoel advised reporters on Friday afternoon, even getting via to the end of Il Lombardia at Como would in some methods represent successful.
Not solely is Evenepoel’s type unpredictable however what sort of result’s achievable is much more unsure given he’s going through – like each different contender bar one in Il Lombardia – a standout favorite of the calibre of three-times former winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates).
On the plus facet, Evenepoel says he has no sense of foreboding in regards to the second when he and the peloton will cross the Colma di Sormano, the scene of his horrible accident again in 2020, this Saturday. It doubtless helps that this 12 months’s race is heading in the wrong way to 4 years, uphill slightly than downhill. Arguably much more importantly, although, the Belgian defined after going to see the location of his crash again in 2021, he has already labored via any ghosts of the previous.
A way more current high-profile race accident with a significantly extra tragic consequence, that of Muriel Furrer within the World Championships junior girls’s highway race two weeks in the past, was additionally the topic of an open query concerning rider security in Evenepoel’s press convention.
Evenepoel quietly identified in his reply that “it is lower than me to say issues like – we’ve got to vary this or that. ” But he additionally put his finger on one key subject of the harrowing occasions of September 26 in Zurich – that ‘the primary downside was no one knew in regards to the crash.”
And even when he didn’t wish to take a particular stance, the Belgian nonetheless argued cogently and powerfully that this absence of data being offered shortly might properly strengthen the case for in-race radios for riders, in a minimum of some occasions.
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“Of course, what occurred in Zurich was a racing accident and the one factor I’d say is that if there have been riders with radio communication, you could possibly talk it [the accident] to the automobile and the automobile might talk with the jury [race commissaires],” he started by saying. “Then a minimum of the ambulance might have come means faster.
“So that is perhaps a motive why radio communication must be allowed in worldwide championships – the Worlds, Europeans, Olympics… Because I believe on this case that was the primary downside in Zurich, that no one knew in regards to the crash.
“There have been riders round. But in fact, should you see anyone crash, you’d at all times assume ‘okay, the individual is simply going to face up and proceed the race’.
“Like I mentioned, if there have been no [TV] photos and no one noticed it from the automobiles and the riders couldn’t say something, then I believe that [absence of information] was the most important downside on this case.
“But in fact, it is lower than me to say issues like – we’ve got to vary this or that. I believe we’ve got already mentioned rather a lot additionally final 12 months with Gino [Mäder, who died in a crash in the 2023 Tour de Suisse – Ed.] with a downhill end, with no safety on the facet of the highway to cease him going right into a ravine.
“I believe what I simply talked about now’s the second massive factor. That a minimum of if you see it occurring, you may talk it to the automobile and so they can talk it to the jury and actions might be taken.”
Return to the Colma di Sormano
To say that Evenepoel is aware of of the fortune he had personally in such circumstances was true about his personal main crash in Il Lombardia 2020. TV photos confirmed him spinning over a low-lying stone wall on a bridge on the descent of the Colma di Sormano, and after he was discovered inside a query of minutes, the rescue companies might start their work to save lots of him way more shortly.
“I’ve acquired over that second,” he mentioned when requested if the crash was nonetheless a foul reminiscence or if he had acquired over it.
“I visited the place final 12 months after the race and I believe that was an excellent resolution to only have a second there, for myself and with [partner] Oumi, trying on the level the place all the things occurred, attempting to analyse what I did flawed.
“I believe that helped me loads, with having a bit much less worry on the roads spherical right here. and simply on the whole.”
It was an excellent resolution for this 12 months’s Il Lombardia to go up the Sormano and never down, he mentioned, given how so many different riders have crashed there previously, however he insisted that “I’m fully over that second. It in all probability solely made me mature and helped me in quite a lot of methods to simply accept issues a bit extra simply than I did earlier than.”
“It doesn’t suggest something particular to me and I’ve achieved some nice issues since then. I might cross the bridge on a golden bike” – painted in that color in recognition of his not too long ago gained standing as Olympic champion – “and that claims sufficient.”
This 12 months’s race
With that episode firmly previously, Evenepoel is clearly able to concentrate on the race itself. Having executed one recon of the Il Lombardia route – modified, but once more, in 2024 – Evenepoel says he is aware of a lot of the finale, however that in any case, the query mark stays over his underlying situation.
Given the Colma di Sormano – the second final climb within the 2024 race is 13km lengthy, “It’s a really demanding closing,” Evenepoel reasoned “But then it is a bit unusual with the lengthy flat half we’ve got to the [last climb] of San Fermo della Battaglia.”
“It’s particular to go up an extended climb on the final race of the season, asking for lots of power. But then, alternatively, I hope to succeed in Como, which might already be a profitable achievement for me this 12 months. So it is a very good course.”
The crunch subject for Evenepoel, then, is how far he’s wavering away from his high type and whether or not he can but produce a significant efficiency in consequence. On the plus facet, not like different high names like Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) this week who’ve already opted to drag down the blinds on their 2024 season, the truth that he takes half in Il Lombardia says there’s room for some optimism.
However, as Evenepoel defined, via no fault of his personal his season has been a really irregular one due to the crash and damaged collarbone in Itzulia-Basque Country this spring. So going into Il Lombardia his default place proper now’s to hedge his bets and see what occurs out on the highway.
“I believe you probably have a wholesome 12 months with no issues, then all the things is feasible to maintain in high form. I proved that in 2022 after I was at a really excessive stage from June to the final week of the season,” he mentioned.
“But this 12 months I used to be in a rush after Basque to get into form for the month of July and I’m simply paying for {that a} bit proper now. it is a bit extra of a battle to maintain the great form.”
“So it is nearly getting via and seeing what the consequence will probably be. Like I mentioned, with the harm earlier than the Tour after which getting sick after the Olympics, it wasn’t the very best preparation for the Worlds and these races.
“I’m nonetheless adequate to carry out. If that is for the win or not, that is one thing I can not inform for the second.”
As for the way he sees the 2024 Race of the Falling Leaves enjoying out, Evenepoel believes 4 early categorised climbs will make the primary a part of this version of Lombardia is a lot tougher than the final 100km. As a consequence, the primary consequence is an enormous battle for a robust breakaway will probably be nearly inevitable.
But the second consequence of the arduous begin is probably going the one which pursuits a high contender like Evenepoel essentially the most. Keeping the legs contemporary for the ultimate a part of the race after such a tricky early problem, he mentioned will doubtless be key to success in a race as unpredictable as Il Lombardia and with the doubts round his present type, much more so.
Planning for 2025
Although that is the final Monument of the season, that is Evenepoel’s first of the 12 months, given he needed to skip Liège-Bastogne-Liège due to his Itzulia accidents. It’s hardly shocking then, that after a dearth of participation in one-day racing already curiosity is mounting concerning his 2025 plans for the Classics.
The Belgian was completely satisfied to make use of his closing pre-race press convention of 2024 to debate his preliminary concepts for subsequent Spring. But it was extra to ship a primary spherical of damping down any dwelling expectations that he’ll be making his keenly awaited debut within the Tour of Flanders, slightly than to offer any bombshell information about De Ronde.
“For subsequent 12 months we’ll must see;” he mentioned. “Probably the Flemish Classics are a bit tough on this program for my larger targets and the issues I actually wish to obtain – let’s not say as quick as doable however fairly quickly.”
“If there’s a Classic that perhaps might be executed in 2025, it should be San Remo. It’ll be tough to do the opposite Classics subsequent Spring – apart from the Ardennes in fact. But the Flemish ones and San Remo – there is a larger probability I’ll be not doing them than doing them.”
Where Evenepoel will certainly be lining up, although, in fact, will probably be in Il Lombardia on Saturday, for what’s his fourth participation in 5 editions and with a hope of enhancing on his career-best putting of ninth final 12 months.
Yet come what could on the roads of northern Italy this weekend, after a season just like the Belgian’s, something he achieves in his first and closing Monument of 2024 can solely be thought of a bonus.