Remco Evenepoel following trusted method as he sets out goals for first half of 2023 ahead of Giro d’Italia

Remco Evenepoel has revealed he will follow a tried-and-tested formula in a bid to repeat his stellar 2022 in the new season.

The Belgian has long been viewed as a prodigious talent and he turned the potential into big-event success with a series of wins last year.

Evenepoel won his first cycling monument with victory at Liege-Bastogne-Liege in April. He followed that up in September with Grand Tour success at the Vuelta a Espana, and capped the season with road race glory at the World Championships in Australia.

The Giro d’Italia is a confirmed target for Evenepoel in 2023, and he will prepare for it with a series of training camps at altitude and races where he intends to be at peak form.

“For me, it works well to have a period that’s pretty calm, then blocks of racing which are more stressful.

“When I go to races, I go with the pressure to win or perform. Combining that with the camps, where there’s no pressure, just a job to be done, that’s what helps me deal with the stress. It helps me throw myself at my objectives.”

The Soudal-Quickstep rider is looking forward to defending his Liege-Bastogne-Liege crown, which he will do wearing the rainbow jersey as the world champion.

“For the head and the morale, I hope to do a good result in Liege,” the 22-year-old said. “With the rainbow jersey and the No. 1, it’ll be special, maybe the most special day of the year.”

Evenepoel’s season will begin at the Vuelta a San Juan in Argentina later in January. He will then take part in the UAE Tour and Volta a Catalunya before Liege-Bastogne-Liege in April and the Giro which gets underway on May 6.

The second half of the Belgian’s season will be decided following his Giro challenge.

– – –