Remco Evenepoel taking cautious approach to Vuelta a Espana 2023 title defence – ‘We’d rather not target it’

Remco Evenepoel is taking a cautious approach to his Vuelta a Espana defence when the race begins on Saturday.

The reigning champion stressed the importance of not peaking too early in order to claim the general classification and red jersey.

Evenepoel showed his mettle to handle everything thrown at him in last year’s Grand Tour, and gave an insight into his strategy for the opening stages of the race.

“I’m eager to see how I fare on longer ascents, and with Jonas [Vingegaard] and Primoz [Roglic] in the mix, I’m curious to gauge my performance against theirs.

“Wearing the leader’s jersey is a desirable scenario for later stages. In the initial nine days, we’d rather not target it.

“If we happen to claim it, we’ll aim to relinquish it to less threatening contenders as swiftly as possible.

“The leader’s jersey holds significant appeal, and naturally, you want to relish it. However, we’re not keen on retaining the red jersey during the first week.

“The same philosophy applies to the white jersey for the best young rider. And if this plan doesn’t unfold as intended, we’ll adapt to the situation.”

Evenpoel would not be drawn into any predictions of a second consecutive title, knowing the pitfalls of competing at a Grand Tour after pulling out of the Giro d’Italia on two separate occasions.

“Predicting a Grand Tour win is challenging. So many variables are at play; I learned this during the Giro,” he explained.

“Last year, I aimed for a top ten finish and emerged victorious. Now, I’m targeting a top three finish, which seems reasonable. Off-days can occur easily, and unforeseen incidents like illness or crashes can happen.”

The Belgian will face an arguably much stiffer test in this year’s Vuelta, which is set to be much longer with more steeper climbs to scale.

The Angliru is a particularly daunting prospect for Evenepoel, but the 23-year-old is well equipped for that challenge after taking analytical approach to the task which lies ahead.

“I went to the Angliru to scout and rode it at race pace. I have a better understanding of what lies ahead now.

“Last year, I didn’t explore the routes in advance, which did come with some drawbacks. This time, I’m more familiar with the challenges. There will be a series of steep and extended climbs, so it’s advantageous to be well-prepared.”

When assessing his rivals and who has made the greatest impression so far, Evenepoel intriguingly selected a rider who will not be competing in this year’s Vuelta.

“In terms of the number of victories, [Tadej] Pogacar has been striking this season. However, in terms of the quality of victories, Mathieu van der Poel stands out as number one for me. His results have been phenomenal.

“Primoz [Roglic] has secured victories whenever he started. They were all within the World Tour, showcasing consistent success. But Pogacar is also winning across the board, and Vingegaard clinched both the Tour and the Dauphiné. Each one is impressive in their own way. And as for myself, well, I’ll leave that for others to decide! But personally, Van der Poel gets my vote.”