'Start the countdown ⏱️⏳': Evenepoel records TdF training ride as riders' July preparations begin

The Giro d'Italia back may be on a rest day, but that doesn't stop the Tour de France from drawing steadily closer. Jonas Vingegaard is targeting both Grand Tours this year, but far from the roads of Italy, the riders gunning for July glory are quietly building towards their own Grande Boucle dreams.

Take Remco Evenepoel. The Belgian and his Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team recently announced that he would be following an altered pre-Tour build-up, skipping the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, formerly the Critérium du Dauphiné, in favour of altitude training camps ahead of the Grand Départ.

Little has been heard from the Red Bull rider since, but thanks to Strava, we now know he has well and truly begun his Tour preparations. On Sunday, Evenepoel posted a ride for the first time since 27 April, titled 'Start the countdown' — a clear signal that training has resumed in earnest.

Just outside Granada, the Belgian completed a loop of just over 86 kilometres, finishing the ride in 2 hours and 43 minutes at an average speed of 31.8 km/h. Along the way he accumulated 1,552 metres of climbing, hitting a top speed of 82.3 km/h on one of the descents, and picking up a handful of Strava segment records. He's back.

And Evenepoel is not alone. Juan Ayuso has also recently returned to training, after being forced to skip the Ardennes Classics due to a viral infection. It was yet another setback for the Lidl-Trek leader, who had already abandoned Paris-Nice following a crash, then suffered further falls before experiencing the first symptoms of stomach problems at the Tour of the Basque Country.

Ayuso was absent from the Ardennes, but Spanish outlet AS reported last week that the Spaniard is back in training. Unlike Evenepoel, Ayuso is expected to include the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in his programme — that would mark his return to racing.

All of it is building towards the Tour de France, for which Ayuso had already set out his ambitions to the Spanish publication earlier this year. "A Tour de France podium is an ambitious but realistic goal," he said in early February.

And what of Mikel Landa? The Spaniard was forced to miss the Giro after crashing at the Tour of the Basque Country, where he suffered a pelvic fracture after being struck by a race organisation vehicle. According to Spanish outlet Marca, there is no clarity yet on when the veteran will return to racing.

More significantly, sources confided to the Spanish publication that his participation in the Tour de France is far from guaranteed. Neither Landa nor his team Soudal Quick-Step have been able to give any firm commitment regarding a start at the race.