Evenepoel stays out of the spotlight after transfer shock and skips fan event: "People will understand"

Evenepoel would usually have made an appearance at his annual tour for Evenepoel fans and cycling enthusiasts, but the Belgian recently left for altitude training. This meant he had to disappoint 2,000 cyclists. "It's certainly unfortunate that Remco isn't there, but people will understand," his father, Patrick, told VTM.

His son is in Livigno, where he will be preparing for the second half of the year. Evenepoel focused the first half of his year entirely on the Tour de France, but physical problems prevented him from performing well. After the Tour, he opted for a long rest period, one he had been unable to take last winter due to a bad fall during training.

His mother, Agna, told Sporza: "He is fully focused and working towards his next goals. He would have loved to be there, and that was actually the plan, but of course, that was the plan if he had been able to complete the Tour. Last year, he was here after the Olympics, too. Then he had a week's rest. That's how it would have been this time, too. But that's not the case now."

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After recharging his batteries, Evenepoel started building up again from scratch for what is yet to come. In principle, we will see him back at the World Championships in Rwanda and the European Championships in France, with the Tour of Britain also on the schedule. It is still unclear what his last races for Soudal-Quick Step will be. “Medically speaking, he wasn't ready to ride among all those people yet.”

“And it's also good for him to do a complete reset,” explained his father, Evenepoel, who was, of course, also presented with the transfer to Red Bull. “It's clear to everyone that it ended on good terms. The season isn't over yet, so everyone wants to make the best of it. We are especially relieved that Remco will feel good again.”

“That's the most important thing, that he is mentally ready to go again,” he added. Evenepoel was utterly exhausted after the Tour. “He was sick, completely drained. He spent a day at our house. He needed to unplug completely. He's already had a few setbacks. This Tour is a thing that happened; you have to turn the page and move on.”