The Tirreno-Adriatico left us with a resounding exhibition of Tadej Pogacar before several of the great figures of the platoon At the same time, it also leaves us with many doubts about Remco Evenepoel’s performance in the mountains after collapsing on Saturday’s decisive day in Carpegna, where he lost all his chances of fighting for the general classification.
In statements to the Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl manager Patrick Lefevere came out in defense of his pupil and admitted that the cyclist must improve in this aspect. “It is very possible that the toughest mountains and Evenepoel will never get along. But he still believes in himself and what he does, he handled the situation well and only thinks about continuing to work hard. That Remco solves uphill races for many is the eighth wonder of the world, but hey, he will have to work more on it.”
For Lefevere, what happened in the Tirreno-Adriatico settles the debate about who is the new Merckx despite the comparisons made of Evenepoel with ‘El Caníbal’. “Anyone who said he is ‘the new Merckx’ was seriously mistaken. Evenepoel is not, but Tadej Pogacar is ‘the new Merckx’. I think now it is clear.”
Finally, Lefevere believes that it is too early to know what kind of runner Evenepoel could be and asks for patience so that the Belgian continues to grow. “That Remco is only strong in one-day classics instead of being a grand tour rider? It’s too early for that. But what if he doesn’t succeed at Fleche Wallonne or Liège-Bastogne-Liège? What is going to happen? Not everyone is Bernal or Pogacar. We will continue to explore what we can do with Remco. You have to be patient”.
