“Searching for the right balance”: ‘adjusted’ Remco Evenepoel gears up on Teide

After a flying start in Mallorca and Valencia, followed by an uneven UAE Tour, it has been a bit quieter around Remco Evenepoel. The brand-new leader of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is calmly working toward his next targets in a season he described beforehand as crucial in his career. With Belgian national coach Serge Pauwels, we make a first assessment.

After the UAE Tour, where he had to settle for tenth place in the overall classification, Evenepoel was harsh on himself. Honest as always, he called the race in the Emirates a 'reality check.' "The UAE Tour really woke me up," he noted. Nevertheless, he prepared with his head held high for a high-altitude training camp on Teide in Spain.

From Paris-Nice, Sporza colleagues learned from team director Sven Vanthourenhout that 'all signals are positive' and that Remco 'is enjoying himself in the good weather.' But does that also mean we will see a better version of himself in the Tour of Catalonia, his next scheduled race on March 22? It will be his last stepping stone toward the Ardennes classics but also stands as a target in its own right.

"Positive start"
Coach Pauwels wants to focus on the positive first. "I have watched his season start with admiration. We must admit that, especially in the Challenge Mallorca, the field wasn't of the highest caliber, but I stick to the motto: just try winning a race. He didn't do it once, but seven times in total. That is sublime, even if on a different level than the UAE Tour or Catalonia. It was also clear that he was mentally very sound with the new team."

Still, the difference between that dominant Evenepoel on Spanish soil and a struggling climber in the Emirates is hard to explain. "For Remco, it remains a challenge to combine the longer efforts of stage racing with the more explosive, 'punchy' finishes. That is anything but straightforward, especially since he naturally leans more toward those explosive types and can better use his aerodynamics on flat terrain. I think he still has to find that balance," he says.

"That is the most logical explanation. In the UAE Tour, he cannot do what he wants on the longer climbs, but he still convincingly won the short ten-minute time trial. That proves he wasn’t suddenly much less in form than in the weeks before in that race. But the balance between explosiveness and sustained efforts tipped too much toward the former," adds the Belgian national coach.

Balance!
‘Balance’ is now the keyword according to Pauwels. "They have to adjust that based on his main goals. First up is the Ardennes classics period, where I expect him to be in good shape. Of course, I don’t know exactly how he trains, but I think the team has made adjustments. I myself have given him some peace of mind, but in his circle, I hear they believe we will see a better version in Catalonia than in the UAE Tour."

Pauwels sees a second reason why we will soon witness a renewed version of the former world champion. "That he can now retreat into his cocoon in Spain is not a bad thing for Remco. He is someone who always comes back strong after a period 'on his mountain.' It was already the case last year toward the World Championships. He is away from all the hustle and can focus well. That’s where he’s incredibly strong."