“The objective is simple: to win”, warns Remco Evenepoel, “very confident” in his chances of defending his title in Liège-Bastogne-Liège against Tadej Pogacar on Sunday.
“It will be very special to wear the world champion jersey for the first time this season at home,” added the Belgian speaking in English, Flemish and French during a videoconference on Friday after the recognition .
Everyone only talks about your duel with Pogacar, how do you live it? Remco Evenepoel: “I take it as an honor. To be one of the two big favorites in the biggest classic of the year is very special. I believe in my ability and that of my team. But it’s a race of almost six and a half hours. You have to stay calm and just give the maximum to win.
You have just returned from a training camp in Tenerife, while Pogacar has multiplied the days in the race. What is the best preparation? “I have the greatest respect for what Tadej has done in recent weeks. He showed that he was an immense champion. It is true that we had a completely different preparation. Mine was mainly focused on the Giro (May 6-28), my main objective. Liège is first of all a great test, as was the Clasica San Sebastian (which he won, editor’s note) last year before the Vuelta. But it remains a Monument, the most beautiful classic of the year in my eyes. I am the title holder. So the objective is simple: to win.”
Do you see any other rivals than Pogacar? “To be honest, I don’t look at anyone. We have a plan with the team which is to win this race and we are very confident of getting there. There are a lot of fit riders at the start and it makes sense that Tadej is the favourite. But I’m in great shape and I know I’ll be competitive.”
How do you judge the course, modified in the final? “Much harder than last year and even than the last ten or fifteen editions. With the return of the Côte des Forges and the addition of the Côte de Cornémont, we will have a completely different race, on typical Ardennes roads, with holes and a very rough surface. I think it will change the strategy of the teams and the final looks very long. It is likely to fight from Bastogne.
Will there be any particular emotion for your first race this year in Belgium with the world champion’s rainbow jersey on your back? “At the moment I don’t feel any stress yet but during the reconnaissance I I’ve had chills before. I like the course, these are roads that I know well. It will be very special to wear the world champion’s jersey and the number 1 bib (of the defending champion) at home. It will give me extra motivation and help me push a few more watts on Sunday.”
Was your victory here in 2022 a turning point in your career? “Yes, that’s clear. It gave me a huge boost in terms of confidence. I proved to myself what I was capable of in the biggest races. After this victory my results stabilized. I’m not counting the Tour de San Juan (7th end of January) which was more of a cycling vacation than anything else. But for the rest my performances were at a very high level.
Can the outcome of the race have an influence on your state of mind before the Giro? “I don’t think so. Liège is a one-day race where, to win, everything has to be perfect. A puncture and it’s over, we risk never coming back. On a Grand Tour, it’s different. You can recover from a day less well, from an incident. Monday, whatever happens, I return to training in Calpe (in Spain) to prepare for the Giro. But, to be honest, I don’t think I’m going to have a bad day on Sunday.”
