Remco Evenepoel will ride his very last race for Soudal Quick-Step this Saturday. The Belgian hopes to give his team a nice farewell gift in Lombardy, but he realizes it won’t be easy. Still, he remains hopeful. "Of course I can beat Pogacar, otherwise I wouldn’t be here."
After a strong end to the season, Evenepoel still feels strong. Following two second places at the European and World Road Championships and two time trial titles at those same championships, his motivation remains high.
"I feel like I’ve been riding at a high level in recent weeks," he told HLN among others. "Compared to Tadej, it’s hard to say what that level is worth. He obviously looked very strong when he won both championships. But I’m definitely very satisfied with my own form. Tomorrow I’ll do my best to get as close to the win as possible."
Is that win possible? Yes, Evenepoel thinks so. "Of course it’s possible to beat Pogacar tomorrow. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here. It’s a tough race, but there’s also a long, flat section in the finale. We’ll see how it unfolds. I still feel very good. It will be important not to lose too much energy early on. In any case, it’s a finish where you must not give up. But well, it’s no secret that the UAE team is flying again."
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Evenepoel already knows where Pogacar will attack. He suspects it will be on the Passo di Ganda, as Pogacar has done in previous editions. "We can certainly estimate roughly where he will attack, but it will also depend on how the race develops. In recent weeks, he has shown how hard it is to follow him when he attacks."
Last race for the team
For the Belgian, who will race for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe in 2026, this will be his final event in the service of Soudal-Quick-Step. Evenepoel spent seven seasons with the Belgian team, so the farewell on Saturday carries significant weight. "It motivates me to give everything one more time."
"I want to give the team one last gift. It would be fantastic to end my time here like this. The good memories are numerous and I’m very grateful for all these years. The Vuelta win in 2022 has been my best memory. That was somewhat unexpected and the first overall win in a Grand Tour for the team. We dreamed of it, but our initial goal was a top five finish. To then win with only five riders in the team in Madrid, that was very special."
"I haven’t prepared a speech for my farewell yet. I will have to thank everyone, but not everyone from the team is here, of course. I will probably send a message in the group chat. We’ll see how everything goes tomorrow," he finishes.
