After taking his first win of the 2023 season with the overall title at the UAE Tour last week, Remco Evenepoel is heading to altitude as preparation for his Giro d'Italia bid begins.
The world champion today flies out to Tenerife and Mount Teide in the next step of his early season following 14 days of racing across the Vuelta a San Juan and the UAE Tour. He'll remain at training camp until the Volta a Catalunya on March 20.
Evenepoel will be joined in the Canary Islands by Soudal-QuickStep teammates, new signing Jan Hirt, and Louis Vervaeke, who raced alongside the 23-year-old on his Grand Tour debut at the Giro two years ago.
Team trainer Koen Pelgrim will also head out to the camp, as will a soigneur and mechanic as the team ramps up the serious preparation for the Giro.
The group will stay at the Hotel Parador de Las Cañadas del Teide up the mountain. It's a popular destination for teams. Jumbo-Visma are notable visitors, using the stay at altitude to great effect this winter and crediting the recent training camps held there with their Opening Weekend successes.
Evenepoel's next appointment will come in Catalunya, where he'll make his debut and take on three summit finishes at Vallter, La Molina, and Lo Port. Another trip to altitude will follow ahead of a trip back to Belgium for Brabantse Pijl and his Liège-Bastogne-Liège title defence.
"I think I can be really proud. It's my first race where I wanted to do a good GC," Evenepoel said after his win at the UAE Tour, the 11th stage race triumph of his career.
"I haven't gone to altitude yet; I'll go in a few days, so I can only improve. It's only good signs and we have to continue like this.
"Yes I think so," he added when asked about whether he was on the right track for the Giro in May. "As I said, without altitude and specific work, I think a lot more improvement is possible, so all good for now.
"We'll now go to altitude for the first time and start the real specific work towards the Giro."
