Landa jokes about Evenepoel’s departure, but his potential successor is taking the Vuelta very seriously: "It comes at the right time"

Lecerf is the recent winner of the Czech Tour, after also taking a stage win earlier this year in the Tour of Rwanda. He’s not yet a household name for every cycling fan, but if it’s up to him, that’s about to change. “I’m starting this Vuelta with a lot more confidence than last year. Back then, I didn’t really know what to expect and I was quite nervous. That’s different now. You take that experience with you. It was tough, and I had some hard days, but there were good days too. Now I’ve become stronger.”

Lecerf, currently in his second pro year with The Wolfpack, hopes to show his progress as a rider in August and September. “I hope to ride an aggressive Vuelta and get into a few breakaways. I’m not exactly sure what it’ll turn into yet. That depends on how the team is doing, and how strong Mikel and Valentin (Paret-Peintre, ed.) are. We’ll adjust day by day. But I do think I should aim for a stage win. It’s possible, I already finished fourth on a stage last year.”

Like many riders, Lecerf talks about attacking, chasing stage wins, and seeing what comes of it. Going for the general classification? “I’m interested in both, but I also know how hard it is to really compete for a GC in a grand tour, especially with the level of competition. That’s tough, and I don’t want to put that pressure on myself just yet. I’ll focus on stage wins, you never know what situations you’ll find yourself in. This Vuelta will be a success if I get close to a stage victory, and it would be great if we, as a team, can win one or two stages.”

In the long run, though, a GC campaign is definitely within reach, as Lecerf proved with his stage and overall victory in the Czech Tour. “I’ve taken a step forward. The Czech Republic was a great test, because we went into it with me as the team leader and with the goal of winning the race. I was able to handle that pressure, and it’s nice that it worked out. Now we’re trying to build that up gradually, and I want to start winning bigger races. I’m fairly explosive, so I can handle the Vuelta climbs. I do expect to show something. I won’t be deliberately losing time. We’ll just see where that gets me.”

Naturally, Lecerf was also asked about the fact that Soudal-Quick Step will continue without Remco Evenepoel starting in 2026. “It’s a shame for the team, because Remco is the absolute leader and the face of the squad. He’s a really likeable guy, so it’s unfortunate that we’re losing him,” he said, praising his teammate. But he added: “On the other hand, it also creates more opportunities for me, for Valentin, for Ilan (Van Wilder, ed.)... There will be more freedom, so it has both pros and cons. I’m growing step by step, and this comes at a good time, it allows me to ride more for myself in the smaller races.”

Those were definitely more serious remarks than Mikel Landa’s earlier joke: “I came to this team to help Remco, but we haven’t done a single race together this season. First he was injured, then I was, so I almost forgot about him,” Landa laughed. Though he added more earnestly: “I came here with a goal, but I’ve found more than that within this team. The atmosphere is great, they see me as more than just a helper. So I’m happy to be here, even without Remco.”

Bram van der Ploeg ( Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])