'It would have been perfect for him' - Italian helper preferred for Evenepoel to prioritize the Giro over the Tour

Remco Evenepoel is leaving Soudal Quick-Step behind - and with him, many of his trusted domestiques. Even his long-time shadow Ilan Van Wilder will not be following him to Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe. But there is one rider who will. Mattia Cattaneo knows the Belgian leader like few others and will once again be one of the key lieutenants at the German team.

For Cattaneo, the move to Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe was a fairly straightforward calculation. “My contract with Quick-Step was ending and, at 35, I was considering other options, both financially and otherwise, because these are objectively the final years of my career,” the Italian explained to Bici.Pro. Out of those options, the most appealing came via his own team leader.

It was Evenepoel himself who suggested he should make the move to the German formation - alongside him. “I had three or four attractive offers, financially better than what the team was willing to offer me. Meanwhile, Remco had decided to come here. He called me and said: ‘If you can, sign with Red Bull, because I’m going there,’” Cattaneo revealed.

Leaving Soudal Quick-Step was not easy, but Cattaneo already sees his leader thriving in his new environment. “Maybe it’s just my feeling, but it’s as if a weight has been lifted from his shoulders. Because I speak to him every day, I notice that he is calmer and more confident. Those are things you immediately pick up on when someone is more relaxed or, on the contrary, under pressure,” Cattaneo said.

The main objective is, of course, the Tour de France. That went badly wrong last summer, but the Italian actually sees something positive in it. “It was absolutely a heavy blow to have to leave the Tour that way. At the same time, I think it gave him a positive shock - something like: ‘I need to change something.’ A wake-up call, in short. It may not sound pleasant, but sometimes you learn from a defeat, even when you’re a champion."

Targeting the Tour de France means Evenepoel will skip the Giro d’Italia, despite the presence of a long individual time trial in the route. Cattaneo would have loved to see him race in Italy. “When I saw the Giro d’Italia course, the first thing I did was call him. I told him: ‘Look, they’ve given you a forty-kilometre time trial — that’s a race made for you.'"

Still, he understands why the team is keeping Evenepoel away from the Giro. “It’s also clear that a huge investment has been made in him,For Red Bull and the team, the Tour de France is extremely important, and when you make such an investment, it’s only right to focus on that first and foremost. But that Giro… it would have been perfect for him."