Remco Evenepoel faces a demanding test this week in the Volta a Catalunya ahead of his great goal for this season: the 2023 Giro d’Italia. A Volta in which Evenepoel has put together good performances with his second place in the first stage and third place after a close sprint with Giulio Ciccone and Primoz Roglic at the top of Vallter.
An Evenepoel that continues to generate expectations on which the Giro, Tour and Vuelta champion, the Spanish cyclist, has wanted to rule Alberto Contador, who in statements to Eurosport has applauded Evenepoel’s decision to compete in the Giro d’Italia rather than the Tour de France. “I think Remco Evenepoel will have a great season and that he has made a good decision to ride the Giro d’Italia this year and not go to the Tour de France yet.”
Contador also hopes to see Evenepoel fighting in the future for the Tour de France against Pogacar and Vingegaard. “In the future we will see that he can be a rival for Pogacar and Vingegaard in the Tour de France. Only time will tell, but at his age, Evenepoel has a lot of room for improvement, so it just needs a little time.”
The Spanish cyclist also believes that his adventure in the Vuelta a España, in which Evenepoel took the general, has helped him grow as a cyclist. “I am sure that he learned a lot last year in the Vuelta. She had a bad day and that could help her analyze what he could have done wrong And what could I do better?
Contador also expressed his enthusiasm to see Remco Evenepoel in the Giro and how he can perform on the demanding climbs of the Italian round. “Remco Evenepoel is a cyclist capable of attacking on the flat and putting the peloton in check, and winning with style. He is capable of attacking at any stage of the Giro and winning solo with an exhibition. Remco flies in time trials and I’m also looking forward to seeing how he does it in the mountains of the Giro. There are climbs with a lot of slopes, so we’ll see how he deals with these situations”.
Finally Contador applauded Evenepoel’s courage to attack from afar and surprise his rivals. “For the rest of the season, I think it will stay the same. Let him roll like crazy. He always goes for everything and you don’t know if what he has done will succeed or not because he attacked very far from the finish line”.
