Footage from recon shows how long Evenepoel had been working on Tour of Flanders

The footage shows that the plan had been in place for a very long time. It was the heart of winter, and Evenepoel had to ride in black, neutral kit. “I’m doing the ‘secret’ recon in black clothing because at the moment I’m not allowed to wear my Red Bull kit yet, and by the time the video comes out, I’m not allowed to wear the clothing from previous years either,” he explains.

Evenepoel has trained on the cobbles of Flanders before, as he lives not far from the route. “It’s the first time I’m riding these roads with a real reason. It’s freezing cold and icy, but I’m dressed well. It’s been a while since I last rode on the cobbles. But I’ve got a good feeling.”

Evenepoel did not simply go out for one reconnaissance day, but two. He was supported throughout by a sizeable Red Bull staff contingent. One of them was soigneur David Geeroms, who explained the importance of the Molenberg. “It’s crucial, because it’s one of the first climbs. The approach is wide, but the climb itself is always narrow. After that, we go from one climb to the next, so it’s very important to be near the front.”

Positioning is crucial in Flanders, but so is equipment choice. “It’s a nice way to see what tyre pressure they’re going to need,” adviser Allan Peiper says. “But Remco and Gianni have both come from other teams, so they can also get a feel now for SRAM, how it shifts, how the gear ratios work, which chainrings they’ll use, and so on.”

Sven Vanthourenhout joined Red Bull to support Evenepoel and can see his rider is genuinely excited about Flanders. “Everyone will be looking forward to the arrival of Remco Evenepoel in the Tour of Flanders. Everyone expects it in a way, but these are also the races he loves. He can make history here. That’s what Remco thrives on, but he can make it happen too.”

On day two, the Belgian was joined by Gianni Vermeersch, who already has plenty of experience on the cobbles. A valuable rider to have alongside him, although Evenepoel dropped him several times on the climbs. “I need a few days to recover from this training ride,” Vermeersch laughed.

Evenepoel clearly enjoyed himself and knew how important the kilometres would be. “It’s hard, the combination of the cobbles and the climbs. They come one after another very quickly, it never stops. It will be important to know the key points of the race, and also the places where we can recover a bit. But in the final there’s nowhere to hide, it will be full gas all the way to the finish.”