World champion Remco Evenepoel is back on the bike and preparing for the 2023 season at his winter base near Calpe in Spain.
His friend and frequent training partner Siebe Roesems, who races for Continental team Trinity Racing, posted a video of Evenepoel training in his rainbow jersey on Instagram.Evenepoel then reposted the video on his own Instagram account.
The video shows Evenepoel in his new rainbow jersey and descending on the coast road towards Calpe as the sun sets over the Mediterranean. Roesems tags Calpe to the video and points out that the ride was done at 5:45 pm local time.
After winning the Vuelta a Espana and the world title in Australia, Evenepoel confirmed that he would relocate from Belgium to Spain this winter, heading to Alicante to make the most of the training conditions and to escape the glare at home.
Despite racing long and hard in 2022, Evenepoel is one of the first riders to get back into training for 2023. However, Het Laatste Nieuws suggested he is doing basic training rides, mixing miles with coffee stops.
"The region around Alicante is a really beautiful area to train. The weather is good all year round, so it's ideal for my basics and winter training," Evenepoel told Het Laatste Nieuws earlier this year.
"I also find a training route that is a bit harder than the Ardennes, which is also necessary because I want to keep targeting the Grand Tours and the difficult climbing stage races."
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"I'm going to focus on my daily life, not on something like a singing competition. The people who want something from me won't know where I am or what I'm doing. That should help a bit."
During Evenepoel's recent visits to Alicante, he has stayed at the Syncrosfera hotel run by former pro Alexander Kolobnev, which features atmosphere-adjustable rooms that can mimic the effects of high altitude. He now plans to install his own altitude room in his new apartment.
Evenepoel’s QuickStep-AlphaVinyl team are expected to gather near Calpe for a December training camp. Evenepoel will reveal his Grand Tour plan for 2023 at the team’s official presentation on January 6 at the Plopsaland theme park in De Panne, Belgium.
Evenepoel and several teammates have hinted he will target the 2023 Giro d’Italia but he would also fast-track his Grand Tour ambitions and make his debut at the Tour de France.
Remco Evenepoel's off-season training in Calpe (Image credit: Siebe Roesems)
Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
