Remco Evenepoel will not run any more Grand Tour in the remainder of the 2023 season. This was confirmed this Friday by the Soudal Quick-Step skipper Patrick Lefevere in statements to Het Nieuwsblad in which he has also confirmed that the Belgian cyclist has already passed the coronavirus after abandoning the Giro d’Italia.
Lefevere told the Belgian media how these days have been for Evenepoel. “For the first time he has tested negative, so he has been sick for five days. On Tuesday he had stronger symptoms with a headache and sore throat as well as great fatigue, but he is better now. He will rest this weekend and at the beginning of next week we will do cardiac tests”.
A return to competition in which Evenepoel will not ride the Tour de France and the Tour of Spain. “If Remco doesn’t shine in the Tour de France, many will shoot him with bazookas. In addition, Remco already won the Vuelta last year and no one would accept any other result than that, and I would also have to do heavy and specific preparation.”
Before this panorama, Evenepoel has only confirmed his presence in the time trial and road race of the Belgian Championships (June 22-25), but Lefevere leaves the door open for more races. “We have thought about whether to go to the Critérium du Dauphinébut it’s still early”, analyzed Lefevere, leaving Evenepoel’s calendar for the second part of the season up in the air.
