Remco Evenepoel will finally make his Tour de France debut in 2024. The 2022 Vuelta a España winner will compete against greats like Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard in the world’s biggest race. He dreams of yellow, but after the modest Vuelta, many analysts doubt whether Evenepoel can follow the big boys up the ladder.
Adri van der Poel also has his doubts. “I don’t know if Remco has taken enough steps to fully commit to the Tour,” he says in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. “Well, he already won the Vuelta last year. But shouldn’t he first win the Dauphiné or the Tour of Switzerland to compete for a podium in the Tour?”
During the final round in Spain, Evenpoel had to compete for the first time against Pogacar and Vinggaard, two of the best Tour riders in the world. That turned out to be a fiasco. In the Tourmalet stage, Evenepoel fell completely through the snow and did not reach the finish until 27 minutes behind stage winner Vingegaard. (Read more below the picture)
“You saw it already at the start of the Vuelta: “That wouldn’t work for him,” says Van der Poel Sr. “He made the same mistakes he made in his first race: running for a few seconds. If you’re sure of yourself, if you feel good about yourself, don’t do it. Bluffing against experienced pros like Roglic or Vengegard, this won’t work.
Five effects
However, the father of the current world champion is very impressed with what Evenpoel has achieved again this season. He won Liège-Bastogne-Liège for the second time and Clásica San Sebastián for the third time and became world time trial champion.
“He has had a fantastic season without question. His record says it all. There is already a lot to do, and there is a lot to come. Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel are the only two riders currently capable of winning the five Monuments,” said Adri van der Poel.
