Remco Evenepoel has said he still has a lot to prove in Grand Tours and also conceded, ahead of his Vuelta debut, that he will not make the same mistakes he did when vying with Egan Bernal at the Giro last year.
“People sometimes forget that I've only been racing for five years. There are still many steps to be taken," he said. "To give an example: intermediate sprints for one second, such as in the Giro last year with Egan Bernal, that is a thing of the past.
"I won't do that anymore, from now on I'll look the cat out of the tree, I will approach it differently and I will laugh inwardly when I see something like this happen. In a big round you have to save strength, not do crazy things.
Advertisement
"In the Tour of Norway, for example, I raced defensively in the beginning. I used to think that I had to win in a spectacular way, attacking from afar, riding solo, but in the meantime I have realized that it is not the most efficient way to win matches."
Evenepoel went into the Giro last year - his only Grand Tour appearance to date - while still on the comeback trail after his crash at Il Lombardia the previous August. While he initially performed well, and was 2nd overall after stage 10, his challenge then began to slip away before abandoning with four stages remaining.
Related News
Now aged 22-years, and a much more accomplished rider, he told Belga there were still "question marks" about his climbing in Grand Tours, adding three-week races were a much different proposition to one-week stage races.
“I haven't proven anything yet and this is a completely different story. I start in this Vuelta with the idea that I have to try to survive as long as possible. I have to take advantage of the good days and try to seize my chance," he said.
"My main goal must be not to lose any time in those first nine stages. Then comes the time trial and then we can possibly rearrange and review goals, but a lot can still happen after that. So I'm not lying when I say I don't want to lose any time until the second rest day of the Vuelta. And then we'll see."
When the Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl rider was asked about the possibility of winning the the Vuelta, which begins with the TTT on Friday in Utrecht, he was cautious but still optimistic.
“Obviously I am ambitious”, he said. “I am aiming for a stage win and hope for a good classification, but I am careful. If I find I'm being driven at a distance, not in one minute or so - then I don't just let it go.
"But if it leans more towards five, six or ten minutes, then there's no point in biting. Then I just let it run in that ride and focus on certain stages. Winning a stage in a Grand Tour would also be very nice, wouldn't it?”
