From ‘serious rival’ to ‘we’ll have to wait and see’: how rivals and teammates view Evenepoel ahead of Flanders

Evenepoel is one of the best riders in the world, and nobody disputes that. His strengths as a climber with power, his unmatched ability on the flat and his relentless will to win immediately make him a dangerous rider for a race like the Tour of Flanders. On paper, at least. Making your debut in a race like this is never easy for anyone.

Wout van Aert also knows it will not be a simple task for his compatriot, but he is absolutely taking the world time trial champion into account. “It remains to be seen, but I do think something changes for the whole peloton. Remco is not just someone showing up to take part. In the Monuments he has already shown that those races suit him exceptionally well. He will be a serious rival for all of us.”

Mathieu van der Poel sees it in much the same way. “It is his first time here, but he is a top rider and he has a strong team around him. Just think of my former teammate Gianni Vermeersch, who knows this race inside out. We absolutely must not underestimate Remco. And yes, I am glad he is on the start line. The more strong riders there are, the sooner the race opens up. That is not a disadvantage for me.”

Soudal Quick-Step head into Flanders with a different feeling than in years gone by. Once the team to beat in the Classics, the Wolfpack now arrive more as outsiders to keep an eye on. It is also the team Evenepoel rode for until last season. He said he was not allowed to ride the Tour of Flanders back then, but team director Sep Vanmarcke knows it will be difficult for an inexperienced rider to make an immediate impact.

“With Remco, a very big name is added, but we still have to see how far he can go,” Vanmarcke said. “It will be his first time in such a big Flemish Classic, where a completely different kind of battle is always going on. It is different from the battle Remco fought in Catalunya. Physically, he absolutely has the capabilities, but we will have to wait and see how far he can go.”

Enough about the opposition. What do Evenepoel’s teammates think of his entry into De Ronde? Tim van Dijke may well have been one of the most important pieces for the German squad in their previous race. “On Sunday we will have our mate with us, right? Our Aero Bullet, and we are looking forward to that. We have a very good team to support him there and I think Remco can go very deep into the race.”

The Dutchman clearly does not see Evenepoel as a complication, but as a major asset. “When he rides a one-day race, he is always one of the top favourites. The only downside is that he raced Catalunya. It is up to us to make sure Remco is in position when the big favourites make their move. And then I do not expect many riders to simply drop him on the Kwaremont.”

Van der Poel had already mentioned the name Gianni Vermeersch. In previous years, the tough Belgian was one of the key domestiques in the spring for the former world champion. “Let’s hope we do have a finisher on Sunday,” he said on the day of Dwars door Vlaanderen. “They told us this morning, with the message that the decision had been made and that it would be announced towards the end of the race.”

Before the start of the WorldTour race on Wednesday, Evenepoel announced that he would start in Antwerp. For his teammates too, there had still been some uncertainty about what the plan would be. “It has been a long back-and-forth story, but Remco has always been motivated to race it. He had already tested some things with the equipment, but now it has been communicated to us as well.”

Can Evenepoel immediately contend for victory? Vermeersch knows you do not just win Flanders on demand. “It is a difficult race to start without experience. But if we can drop him off in the right positions at the right moments, then in the end it is still the legs that do the talking. With the goals Remco has, riding the Tour of Flanders is not easy. He does not have a programme like Pogačar and he raced Catalunya, but he got his wish.”

Still, the Belgian sees his leader’s presence as good news for both himself and the team. “In principle, he can challenge Pogačar and Van der Poel. I assume we will still do a recon together, although Remco had not yet arrived at our hotel so far. I think this is good for the team, because if you really want to land a big result in the Tour of Flanders, then you need a rider of Remco’s calibre. It gives us a better chance of a major result.”