Belgian expert slams 'anti-Evenepoel' Giro route: “They missed the chance to add a second time trial”

The Giro d’Italia route has been unveiled - and with seven summit finishes and a long time trial, it’s no surprise Jonas Vingegaard seems tempted by a start in Bulgaria. But what about Remco Evenepoel? According to Belgian commentator Renaat Schotte, the Soudal Quick-Step star should probably stay away and wait for the Tour de France

Schotte sees more promising opportunities for another Belgian. “There are two sprint chances and, in between, a cobbled finish for punchers,” he explained on Sporza. “Maybe that could suit Thibau Nys, who had already shown interest in the Giro? A Belgian in pink on day two would be great. And I think whoever takes the pink jersey there could keep it for a while.”

For Evenepoel, though, it’s a different story. “That long time trial along the sea is beautiful - it’s something we hardly see anymore, which is a real shame. But it’s probably not enough for a metronome like Evenepoel to make the Giro his main goal,” Schotte said. “They missed the chance to include a second time trial.”

For Schotte, the decisive moments of the race will come in the high mountains - with summit finishes at Blockhaus and a finale in the Dolomites. “In other words, you can’t win this Giro in the time trial. I suspect Evenepoel and his team will aim for a Tour de France podium rather than this Giro.”

But Evenepoel isn’t the only Belgian GC rider worth discussing. “For Cian Uijtdebroeks, given his transfer to Movistar, the Giro would make sense — though he might not fancy it himself. Laurens De Plus could also get his chance to shine, because there’s plenty to like in this route.”

After an opening weekend in Bulgaria, a series of tricky transition stages follows. Not quite for sprinters, but not for climbers either. The stage to Blockhaus (Stage 7) offers the first real mountain test. “By Giro standards, it’s fairly late for a first summit finish, but there are plenty overall - seven in total.”

Stages 7, 14, 16, 19 and 20 stand out as massive mountain battles made for the general classification riders. “So yes, it’s a climber’s Giro — basically an open invitation to get Jonas Vingegaard on the start list,” Schotte said. “No big names are confirmed yet, but we could well see a duel between Vingegaard and Isaac Del Toro.”