Newly topped Olympic Time Trial Champion and Tour de France podium finisher Remco Evenepoel is anticipated to make his long-awaited debut in each Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders in 2025.
In an in depth interview with Dernière Heure, Soudal-QuickStep staff supervisor Patrick Lefevere defined that it is presently deliberate that Evenepoel will participate in Italy and Belgium’s greatest one-day races subsequent spring.
In stark distinction to 2024, the place Evenepoel’s solely one-day race of the season so far has been the Figuiera Champions Classic in February – which he received with an extended solo break – the Belgian will possible have a Classics-heavy first half of the season in 2025.
In addition to Flanders, Lefevere informed Dernière Heure the 24-year-old can also be set to race one other Flemish cobbled Classic as a part of his buildup to De Ronde. Evenepoel may also make his return to Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the place he secured back-to-back victories in 2022 and 2023 earlier than being compelled to skip the Ardennes Monument in 2024, following his crash and damaged collarbone in Itzulia Basque nation in early April.
“I verify what I informed you after this yr’s Spring Classics, the concept is that Remco discovers Milan-Sanremo and the Tour de France,” Lefevere mentioned. “He may also do Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico, in addition to a Flemish Classic to arrange for Flanders. Either Dwars door Vlaanderen or E3 Harelbeke. Then he’ll return to Liège-Bastogne-Liège.”
Lefevere additionally confirmed that, unsurprisingly, Evenepoel’s 2025 plans embody a return to the Tour de France, a race during which he just lately completed third total in his debut, in addition to claiming a stage and an total win within the Best Young Riders classification. Any likelihood of a hypothetical return to the Giro d’Italia in 2025, which Evenepoel raced in 2021 and 2023 would look nearly sure to be dominated out.
Apart from a quick foray in his debut professional season in 2019 to the Belgian cobbled Spring Classics when he raced Nokere Koerse and the Bredene Koksidje Classic, ending in the principle pack on each events, so far, Evenepoel has by no means ridden any of the Flemish one-day occasions.
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For Belgium’s diehard biking neighborhood, his return to them is welcome, notably after such a glittering run of success.
When requested what he felt Evenepoel’s potential for additional enchancment to be, Lefevere laughed and replied, “You don’t assume he’s ok as he’s? There’s no want for him to get higher. He’s already received two Monuments and a Grand Tour, he’s twice been [elite] world champion.
“He was main the Giro d’Italia [in 2023] when he went down with COVID. He’s simply received on the rostrum of the Tour de France and received one of the best younger rider jersey. And now he’s Olympic Champion as properly. All this at 24.
“Our aim was that he received on the rostrum within the 2025 Tour, so he’s already upfront of our preliminary plan. And who’s to say he received’t win it outright, even with Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard within the peloton.
“You can’t predict the long run. Look at Jan Ullrich and Egan Bernal. They had been each predicted 5 victories every within the Tour and so they by no means received them. I’m not hoping Pogačar will get injured however I simply hope that Remco has already had all of the dangerous luck he’s destined to have.”
The Queen of the Classics
As for what’s left of 2024, Lefevere informed Dernière Heure that the one definitive races on Evenepoel’s present program are the Olympic Games, the World Championships and – presumably partially as a warm-up occasion for Zurich – the Tour of Great Britain [September 3 – 9]. Neither Il Lombardia, when Evenepoel had a really dangerous crash in 2020, solely returning to racing within the 2021 Giro d’italia, nor the Canadian World Cup rounds presently function on his provisional 2024 program for the second half of the season.
While arguing that Evenepoel might win each race bar Paris-Roubaix, Lefevere identified that historical past might but be in Evenepoel’s favour even in essentially the most gruelling Classic of all of them. He cited the case of the late Belgian biking star Frank Vandenbroucke, additionally broadly believed to be exterior the ranks of these with an opportunity of successful the Queen of the Classics, “and the entire Mapei-QuickStep staff was wanted to chase him right down to stop him winning the Hell of the North in 1999. So…”
Lastly Lefevere had some phrases concerning the continued rumours surrounding Evenepoel and his future at Soudal-QuickStep, when requested if he had something to say to these groups presently searching for to tempt Evenepoel away from the Belgian staff.
“I’ll by no means oblige a rider to remain if he doesn’t need to, however Remco is below contract till the tip of 2026. Those who need to signal him know what he’ll price. And in any case, I’m so positive {that a} staff can provide him higher circumstances than ours. I’m not speaking about cash, but in addition his wellbeing. And if we’re so garbage [as a team] then why do the big-name squads preserve making an attempt to signal members of our administration?”
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