'Remco Evenepoel Named First Reserve for Tour of Flanders'
Is the door finally slightly open for Remco Evenepoel's debut in the Tour of Flanders? The monument is not on the program for the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider, but according to Het Laatste Nieuws, Evenepoel is the first reserve on his team’s selection.
According to Het Laatste Nieuws, Evenepoel is the first reserve for both the Tour of Flanders and Milan-Sanremo, although the chance of him participating in the latter race seems increasingly unlikely. “Should I perhaps ride Milan-Sanremo after all? That’s a question from Jan Bakelants, right? No. We shouldn’t get overconfident and need to stick to the plan. For now, I’m staying in Spain with Oumi until Thursday. On Friday, I fly to Abu Dhabi for the UAE Tour,” the Belgian said.
His debut in Flanders’ biggest race is therefore not yet ruled out. The Tour follows seven days after the Tour of Catalonia (March 23–29), the first major target of the three-time world time trial champion. After that, he could start in Flanders without pressure. A decision on this would come after the UAE Tour (February 16-22).
After the UAE Tour, Evenepoel will do a high-altitude training camp at Teide on Tenerife with teammates Florian Lipowitz and Primož Roglič as preparation for the Tour of Catalonia. “Then follows a block with classics in the Ardennes.” Normally, the Amstel Gold Race (April 19) would be his first Classic of the season. That comes a week after the Tour of Flanders.
