Remco Evenepoel: “The best rider in the world” Tadej Pogačar is the only man to complete the Giro-Tour de France double

Remco Evenepoel believes Tadej Pogacar is the “best rider in the world” and the only man capable of winning the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia double.

Evenepoel had had a relatively smooth start to the season up to that point, winning the Volta ao Algarve and the Figueira Champions Classic and coming second in Paris-Nice.

The 24-year-old said in an online press conference that Pogacar’s team would give the national team the best chance to succeed in France.

“I think all the pressure will definitely be on the UAE team,” Evenepoel said. “With how well Tadej raced in the Giro and with the guys who are in the running for the Tour, I think they have the guys to beat and they are the team to beat.”

Given the magnitude of Pogacar’s victory in the Giro (by about 10 minutes), Evenepoel believes the Slovenian is probably the only rider capable of achieving the double and that coming second to him was something of an achievement in itself.

“I don’t think there’s a lot of pressure, especially for myself and the team. I think all the pressure is on the other teams and we have to try to follow suit. If we can follow Tadej one day, I think it will be like a victory,” he said.

“We’ll just have to wait and see what happens. Maybe he’ll attack already on the first day and win the stage by five minutes and then the GC will be decided again. He’s a special guy, the best rider in the world, so you never know what’s going to happen.”

“The big question for everyone after the Giro is how he recovers, but I think he had a great race and he’ll be ready for the Tour, that’s for sure. So after winning the Giro, I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins the Tour de France.”

“If anyone can do that, it’s Posi,” Evenepoel said, adding that his Giro victory was “actually very impressive. It was amazing to watch, but it was also boring to watch at times because the race was over, so to speak, with 60,000 kilometers to go.”

He also pointed out that current champion Jonas Wingegaard (Visma Ris-a-Bike) is also a strong contender, having won both the 2022 and 2023 events.

He continued: “Next up, of course, is Jonas, because he’s the back-to-back Tour de France winner.”

Evenepoel is using the criterium as an opportunity to get fit for his first Tour de France and said he has the potential to be successful there.

He will not be competing but will be looking to support teammates Mikel Landa and Illan van Wilder.

“At the moment I will see how the situation develops,” said the 2022 Vuelta a España champion, but added that he has “no specific targets in terms of results or expectations.”

“I think both Ilan and Landa are in good form so if I have the chance I’ll support them as much as I can, but I don’t have high expectations myself. I just need to try to get back into rhythm and finish the race in better shape than when I went in, and then this will be a successful week for me.”

He also told reporters that after the accident he had to overcome some fear when attempting downhill bike rides until he got used to riding.

“The first few days in Sierra Nevada the descents were still a bit tough,” Evenepoel admitted. “I wasn’t very comfortable on the bike, but it’s getting better day by day and I think the most frightening sensations have disappeared, which is good.”

“The injury is still a bit uncomfortable… I feel a bit of discomfort in my shoulder blade sometimes, especially on the TT bike when there’s a lot of pressure on the shoulder. So it’s a bit strange, but I think it’s enough to race and to take the risk again.”