Evenepoel opens up about Tour expectations, weight goals, "unattainable" Pogacar, similarities to Vingegaard, and more...

This past weekend he had to skip the Belgian National Road Race Championships, but this Saturday he will be at the start of the Tour de France in Florence. Remco Evenepoel now knows his teammates and looks fully prepared for what awaits him in La Grande Boucle, as we can infer from his statements talking to Belgian outlets Het Nieuwsblad and HLN, and in the official press conferences leading up to the start of the race. IDLProCycling.com was also present to give you his quotes.

Remco Evenepoel on his cold and physical form (in kilos)

"I'm doing pretty well. I was lucky that the Dauphiné cold never fully broke through for me. Until, after the Dauphiné, I trained for a few days in bad weather and it did happen. I was never really sick, but I had a slightly elevated heart rate. I was actually sick. It wasn’t a lie. Because I had a light cold, I took it easy when doing recon for the Tour time trial on day nine, not going deep. The weather has been good in Belgium, so I’ve managed to get some good days in. Everything should be fine with my health now."

"It's probably clear that it wasn’t so simple to lose one and a half kilos in two weeks. That requires character and morale. I know my body by now. And I know that in the off-season I easily gain about five kilos. But that doesn’t necessarily mean fat. It’s muscle mass and fluid. After my crash in the Tour of the Basque Country, that happened again. Because during my recovery, I spent quite a bit of time with the physio and in the gym, strengthening my legs, shoulder... That needs to be worked off later, you know. I really did my best at altitude and achieved what I wanted. It was necessary. With my Dauphiné weight, I would never be able to keep up with the top riders in the Tour. I had work to do, but I succeeded. That's positive."

Evenepoel came up a little short in the Dauphiné (and was still a little too heavy)

"Because of the crash in the Tour of the Basque Country, I had to take some steps back, but eventually, I tried to push myself as much as possible during altitude training, in terms of training, nutrition... I tried to improve everything in a positive way. I have to be happy with what I’ve achieved in the last two to three weeks, and I think I’m coming into the Tour in the best possible shape for now. I haven’t left anything to chance, so I have no regrets. I trained extensively and specifically on intensity during the altitude camp, both on the regular and time trial bike. I seriously increased the workload. But I felt myself getting better day by day. Whether those steps forward will be enough to compete with the best riders in the world? That remains to be seen."

"I hope I’m a rider like Jonas Vingegaard, who will only grow in this Tour. Day one and four are already tough days, then everyone will still be fresh. I hope to improve in that first week and reach my peak in the second weekend and the third week. That’s easier said than done, but I hope I can manage. I feel relaxed, have no stress or worries. I’m looking forward to it, experiencing the Tour for the first time. It starts with the team presentation and the first day. It will be a special kind of discovery for me, and hopefully, we’ll have good weather in the next three weeks."

Remco Evenepoel on Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard

"I expect Pogacar to be at an almost unattainable level. What he showed in the Giro was super impressive, and he didn’t even have to go deep. He won’t be tired in this Tour de France, so he will be the man to beat. In the Giro, Tadej was certainly unbeatable, 20 to 25 percent stronger than the rest. But it remains to be seen how his body will react in a race with so much more pressure and potential danger in the third week."

"If UAE Team Emirates wants to make the race hard on Vingegaard, then we have to let them do it. We have to follow them and see how it develops. I just don’t think Vingegaard will crack in the first days, absolutely not. UAE will want revenge for the way Visma | Lease a Bike won last year, now that Vingegaard is in the situation Pogacar was in last year. So they will have the same tactic, and I’m curious how they will approach it. UAE wants to win as many stages as possible and win the GC, so they will be motivated. They want to show the world that they are the Real Madrid of cycling, so I’m looking forward to that. It will be special. I still place Vingegaard just below Pogacar. He and Tadej are the two super favorites. I find it difficult to rank myself in the hierarchy. I would say: top five."

Giro winner Tadej Pogacar

Remco Evenepoel on Tour selection Soudal-Quick Step

"I have little influence on the final Tour selection. The coaches and doctors just look at the data and see who has the best level. I don’t have the last word, but it’s nice to see that there are so many guys who will work for me. Big names like Mikel Landa and Ilan Van Wilder being there for me, that adds extra power to the legs and extra motivation to do my best in the next three weeks."

"Sometimes the team has to make tough decisions and leave strong men at home, like Kasper Asgreen. I think with Casper Pedersen, Gianni Moscon and Yves Lampaert, we have three very strong men who can also survive some climbs. They will bring me back if I need to pee on the flat or if I need a big motor. I raced with Casper in Paris-Nice and the Dauphiné, he never questions my choices, so that works well."

Gianni Moscon (left)

Remco Evenepoel on the first stage of the Tour de France

"I saw Mads Pedersen climb in the Dauphiné, and he did well. I think if he has the legs and can handle the pressure of a team like UAE-Team Emirates, then he is, in my eyes, the top favorite for the stage win. But I also think of Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel if they are in top form. If UAE goes bananas from the first climb, there will be a small group at the finish. If the race unfolds as I think, then Pedersen is the favorite, with Wout and Mathieu behind."

"Can I myself compete for the stage win? I don’t think so. I couldn’t use the Belgian Championships as a final test and couldn’t do any very intense training sessions in the days before either. So I couldn’t do exactly what I wanted, but I hope to be strong enough in the first days to follow the best and not lose time. If I want to win the first stage, I will have to go solo in the last thirty kilometers, and that doesn’t seem very smart on the first day of the Tour. I have GC ambitions, so I won’t go all-out for a stage win. If it’s economical, I won’t miss the chance, but otherwise, I mainly want to save energy and stay out of trouble. Let's see how the legs feel."