Evenepoel does not call himself a top favourite, but can he win? “Otherwise I wouldn’t start here”

Remco Evenepoel will line up for the Tour of Flanders for the first time in his career. The Belgian superstar of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe turned the Belgian cycling world upside down with his announcement on Wednesday, and at Friday’s pre-race press conference he spoke in detail about his condition and, above all, his expectations for Sunday.

“I feel ready,” Evenepoel said to several media outlets, including Sporza. “I still have a day and a half left to get myself fully prepared. I’m used to riding Monuments. This is the Tour of Flanders, but I’m not going to prepare any differently because of that. It’s a race I’ve wanted to ride for a long time, but in the past that was held back a little. This year I pushed for it. Do I feel like I can win? Otherwise I wouldn’t start here.”

The Belgian also made it clear that during his final three years at Soudal Quick-Step he had already wanted to take part. “That was always blocked. This year, during our discussions, I said: either the Giro, or Flanders. Once I knew the Giro was not an option, Flanders was put on my programme. Then we would wait and see how I came through the season. But I knew they wouldn’t be able to talk me out of it.” That directly contrasts with Patrick Lefevere’s recent claim that Evenepoel himself had not wanted to start in the race before.

What we can expect from Evenepoel in Flanders will only really become clear on Sunday itself. “The differences are made on the climbs, and after that you cannot ride that much harder than everyone else because it is so demanding. Still, I take confidence from Amstel Gold Race, even if that is a different race without cobbles. But there are enough places here to make the difference.”

Will he be one of the top favourites? According to Evenepoel himself, no. “Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Wout van Aert have already shown more than enough that they can get a result here, or win here. For me, the new element is racing on this course. That is something completely different from just training on it. In terms of ability, I can get close to them over a short effort, but because of my lack of experience I definitely put myself below them.”

Pogačar has already won De Hoogmis twice and will be aiming to do so again. If the Slovenian attacks on the Oude Kwaremont, can his Belgian rival follow? “We’ll see. Everything depends on how my legs feel in general. But the best thing you can do is commit. It’s difficult to move past riders there.”

The nervousness of Flanders will be unlike anything Evenepoel has faced before, but he believes he knows the key moments. “Luckily, the Koppenberg comes after the race has already exploded a bit. It won’t still be a full peloton by then. The second time up the Kwaremont will be very hectic, as always, but from 140 kilometres to go you need to be near the front.”

The late announcement caused a major split of opinion in Belgium. “I know this can only happen once. From next year on, I’ll reveal my full programme and there won’t be much tinkering with it. But this was the first time, and starting without having another cobbled race in my legs is a risk, so we waited as long as possible. Still, nobody was going to pull me back from starting.”

Milan-San Remo had also been an option for the two-time Olympic champion. “Yes, that was on the table for a long time. We took it off because of the bad weather on Tenerife. And I knew I would start here. The combination of San Remo, Catalunya and Flanders would have been too much.” And Paris-Roubaix? “No. Maybe next year.” We’ve heard that one before.