NEXT GOAL THIS YEAR: 'WIN A STAGE IN THE VUELTA'
Before the World Cup, he has another important appointment: the Vuelta a España. “The Vuelta is a big goal. I go there to try something good. The most important thing is that I can win a stage and that I can follow uphill. Stage 10 is a time trial. I already know it quite well, that stage is also a goal.”
Evenepoel is not talking about the classification. He wanted to talk about something else. “I'm sure I just need more experience. I already master one part of being a GC racer and that is the time trials. Now I have to keep working on the climbing. We will do that in the coming months. The Vuelta will be the next step. Then maybe some questions can be answered. In any case, you always have to rehearse and study before you can take an exam.”
He referred, among other things, to the Tour de Suisse. “That was the first time I raced above 2,000 meters. I felt I was missing experience there, I just haven't done that enough. When we went really high, I couldn't accelerate like the rest. But this is still only my fifth year on a bike. I think a lot of riders sit on their bikes for much longer before they become champions for the first time. I am sure that over the years I will put even more stability in my performance. In the meantime, I'm not going to let my head be fooled anymore, like I did last year."