Remco Evenepoel’s change from Soudal-Quickstep to Pink Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe has resulted in probably the most profitable begin to a season of his profession, with three wins through the Mallorca Problem and two stage victories and the general on the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana.
The 26-year-old now has six wins to his 2026 tally in simply eight days of racing, however he counts solely 5.
“I do not rely a workforce time trial as a person victory. In any other case, I would have 75 or so victories now, as an alternative of 72,” Evenepoel mentioned to VTM Nieuws. “So as an instance that is my fifth of the yr. Nevertheless it’s an awesome begin, in fact. I’ll attempt to preserve this up. Now I simply must get better a bit, after which the UAE Tour will come fairly quickly.”
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Evenepoel was capable of sail by means of the 94.7-kilometre last stage on Sunday because of the presence of teammate Emil Herzog within the daylong breakaway.
When the final of the escapees weren’t caught earlier than the road, Herzog completed second within the dash and Evenepoel and teammate Giulio Pellizzari got here by means of simply two seconds later within the chase group, with Evenepoel sealing the general and Pellizzari ending third.
“It is nice to win my first stage race for my new workforce,” Evenepoel mentioned. “It was already fairly clear alongside the way in which that the race was going to be fairly calm. I by no means bought into bother. I feel we all the time had the scenario below management. We completed nicely. It was a bit hectic on the finish with the slippery asphalt and the numerous corners, however ultimately we completed safely. That is an important factor.
By comparability, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Group Emirates-XRG) won’t even begin his season for one more month at Strade Bianche, and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) suffered a crash and sickness over the previous couple of weeks and needed to scuttle plans to compete within the UAE Tour subsequent week. Evenepoel has positively began the yr with the higher hand on his Tour de France rivals even when it is nonetheless early days.
“What we have labored on quite a bit is already paying off. Am I fearful I am in form too early? No, I feel that, if I am a good winter athlete, I am all the time in fairly fine condition within the first few weeks,” Evenepoel mentioned. “I have never had any altitude camps but. I feel we’ll regularly work in direction of the lightest weight. Meaning there’s nonetheless some room for enchancment.”
After his success, it will be comprehensible if Evenepoel or his workforce selected to proceed the momentum and add extra races to his calendar, however that is not presently the case. “No, we will keep on with the plan. First the UAE Tour, then an extended altitude coaching camp, after which Catalunya. After that, the Ardennes, my favorite classics, are coming.
“We’re not going to get overconfident and preserve taking it one step at a time. It is nice that we have already managed to safe this. Now it is time to look forward and attempt to win as a lot as attainable.”
