Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)has denied that he feigned illness to avoid racing at the Belgian Championships last weekend ahead of his Tour de France debut.
Evenepoel withdrew from the road race on Friday, citing a minor illness, but he had been spotted reconnoitring the Tour’s stage 7 time trial to Gevrey-Chambertin earlier that day. Belgian riders risk a two-week suspension if they miss their national championships without providing a valid excuse.
“No, I was really ill. It wasn't a lie,” Evenepoel told Het Nieuwsblad. “That recon of the time trial was planned anyway. If I had ridden the Belgian Championships, I would have done that too. Because I had a mild cold, I did the recon at a leisurely pace, without going deep. Riding at full throttle wouldn't have been smart. But really: I would rather have ridden the Belgian Championships.”
Soudal-QuickStep manager Patrick Lefevere revealed over the weekend that Evenepoel had previously been ill during the Critérium du Dauphiné, though he added that the rider had tested negative for COVID-19. Evenepoel said that he had suffered the effects of his cold during his subsequent training camp at Isola 2000.
“I’m feeling quite good,” Evenepoel said. “Many riders left the Dauphiné with a cold, and some even with something worse. I was lucky that it never completely broke through for me, at least until I trained in bad weather for a few days after the Dauphiné and it happened anyway. I was never super sick, but I did have a slightly elevated heart rate.”
Despite the poor weather at Isola 2000, Evenepoel confirmed that he had succeeded in following his pre-Tour training programme, shedding a kilogram or so from his weight during the Critérium du Dauphiné, where he won the time trial but then lost the yellow jersey on the first mountain stage to Le Collet d’Allevard, eventually placing 7th overall.
“Overall, I was able to train well and take good care of myself,” Evenpoel said. “I really did my best and achieved what I was looking for. It was also necessary. With the weight of the Dauphiné, I would never be able to follow the top riders in the Tour. I had to work, but I made it. That is positive.”
Soudal-QuickStep have looked to temper expectations ahead of Evenepoel’s Tour debut, where the competition includes Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) and favourite Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates). “Top five is the ambition, and the podium is the big dream,” was how Evenepoel put it to Het Laatste Nieuws, an echo of Lefevere’s view.
The Tour is the first instalment of a busy summer for Evenepoel, who will target the time trial and road race at the Paris 2024 Olympics. On Tuesday, it was confirmed that Jasper Stuyven and Tiesj Benoot would line out in the road race alongside Evenepoel and Wout van Aert.
“In an Olympic year it may be normal that thoughts turn to the Games more often than to any other race, but for me, this year is my very first Tour and I also want to be at my best there,” Evenepoel said. “We divide the month of July into two periods, but they are both extremely important. And I am hyper-ambitious for both.”
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