Remco Evenepoel has revealed he may not be ‘100 percent’ for Saturday’s Olympic Games time trial after his gruelling battle for a place on the podium at the Tour de France left him fatigued and pessimistic.
The 24-year-old Belgian stayed in the South of France after Sunday’s final time trial stage and the evening podium ceremony alongside Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard. However, he struggled to train before travelling to Paris on Wednesday to do vital reconnaissance of the 32.4km course.
He described the city centre part of the course as “shit roads,” and conceded he might not recover from his huge effort at the Tour de France to take on other medal contenders such as Italy’s Filippo Ganna and Great Britain’s Josh Tarling who have trained specifically for the time trial as Evenepoel raced the Tour de France.
“I always aim high but I know that I may not be 100 percent. If I’m beaten purely on performance, then I won’t complain,” Evenepoel told Sporza and other Belgian media on Thursday in the countdown to Saturday’s time trial.
"I spent most of Monday in bed, I rode a bit on Tuesday but I didn't feel great, the same on Wednesday and Thursday. I have to wait and see how it goes on Saturday. It has been a demanding final week in the Tour. Recovering is not easy, but I still have two days.
“We'll see if it's enough. I came out of the Tour full of confidence and that already gives me a mental advantage.”
Evenepoel and Wout Van Aert will ride Saturday’s time trial for Belgium, with Lotte Kopecky a favourite for the women’s time trial. She revealed she was hit by COVID-19 after riding the Giro d’Italia Women stage race, where she finished second overall on July 14.
Belgian national coach Sven Vanthourenhout named Tarling and Ganna as the favourites for Olympic gold in the time trial but that appeared to irk Evenepoel, who is the current world time trial champion after beating Ganna and Tarling in Glasgow last year.
"I have already proven enough that I can beat anyone, so why not on Saturday?” he retorted.
“If my legs have recovered well, a lot is possible. I just have to see how the day goes. If I really get beaten on my numbers, on the values, then it will be like that.
“Maybe we can use the ‘bigger engine’ that you have after a Grand Tour. The course is not too technical and that plays into our hands. Then you can use your endurance more.” I came out of the Tour with a good feeling.”
Van Aert aims high but looks to the road race
Van Aert used the Tour de France to rebuild his form after his terrible crash in the spring. He won the time trial stage at the 2022 Tour de France and was a close second to Ganna in the 2022 world time trial championships but has lost ground in recent years. He was fifth in the 2023 world championships, 1:37 down on Evenepoel.
He fractured several ribs, his collarbone and sternum in a high-speed crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen at the end of March and is more focused on the road race on August 3.
"I feel good at the moment. The Tour is in my legs, but I am confident that I will be good on Saturday. I definitely needed the Tour to take a step forward,” Van Aert said.
“I was able to ride the last days of the Tour in a different way than usual. I had little to gain and my mind was already in Paris.
"My experience has taught me that it is better if you can prepare yourself 100 percent. In that respect, the Tour is a disadvantage. But for the road race I needed this Tour.
“It may sound unambitious, but the goal is to ride a time trial that I can be happy and proud of. I hope to finish as close as possible to the medals. Who knows, I might finish behind the three favourites and still be satisfied.”
Evenepoel and Van Aert completed their final reconnaissance of the Paris time trial course on Wednesday afternoon. The 32.4 km course starts at the L'esplanade des Invalides and then heads east to Place de la Bastille and to the Bois de Vincennes park for a loop before returning to the finish near the Eiffel Tower.
Evenepoel did not like the city centre streets after his recon ride.
“The first and the last five kilometres are pretty shit roads,” he said. “Then it is straight and fast. Quite some beautiful sightseeing as well. But the road surface is pretty bad in the beginning and in the end. So that might be a problem if you have black spots in front of your eyes in the last kilometres. It's not so nice, but OK.
"On paper it looks super flat, but it's constantly a false flat, it's going to hurt. It’ll be about cadence, big gear and keeping my position, that's going to be important for me.”
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