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

Published 06/01/2023 at 20:29 GMT

The big names are putting in place their schedules for 2023, and Remco Evenepoel has mapped out the first half of his season. The big aim will be a tilt at the Giro d'Italia, while he will also look to defend his Liege-Bastogne-Liege title in April. The aim for the Belgian is to be at the peak of his powers in every race he competes in, with training camps dominating his time.

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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.

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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.

"It's a lot of training, a lot of altitude camps, but we saw last year that it works for me, so there's no need to change anything or try any different approaches," Evenepoel is quoted as saying by Cycling News.

"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.

Soudal Quick-Step team manager Patrick Lefevere has suggested Evenepoel will make his Tour de France debut in 2024.

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