Tour de France 2024: Remco Evenepoel excited to make debut this year - 'It’s something I have dreamed about'
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ByOli Gent
Published 26/06/2024 at 10:39 GMT
Remco Evenepoel, the Soudal Quick-Step rider, hopes he has "a good Tour" with "nice results" as he prepares for his Tour de France bow. The Belgian team announced their squad on Tuesday, with their 24-year-old star the most eye-catching name in their ranks. Evenepoel is making his debut at road cycling's biggest spectacle, and has recovered well from his earlier injuries.
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Remco Evenpoel says that riding in the Tour de France is something he has dreamed about ever since he first rode a bike.
The 24-year-old was confirmed as part of Soudal Quick-Step's squad for the race, which runs from June 29 to July 21, live on Eurosport and discovery+.
Evenepoel is making his debut at road cycling's biggest event, and has fought his way back impressively from injuries he sustained after a big crash at Itzulia Basque Country in April.
Soudal Quick-Step announced their squad on Tuesday, which is headlined by the Belgian, and he will be joined by Mikel Landa, Jan Hirt, Gianni Moscon, Casper Pedersen, Ilan Van Wilder, Louis Vervaeke and Yves Lampaert.
"Riding the Tour de France is the dream of every kid who falls in love with cycling," Evenepoel, the reigning time trial world champion, said.
"It’s something I too have dreamed about since the moment I rode my bike, and I’m incredibly excited to be at the start for the first time in my career with this great team.
"We have a strong squad, and we are ready to give our best. Of course, I would like to have a good Tour and get some nice results, but let’s not forget it’s my debut in this hard and beautiful event which is unlike any other.
"The plan is to discover the race, take it one day at a time and see where this leads us."
Tom Steels, the team's directeur sportif, spoke with confidence about his team's chances of a strong performance on the French roads.
"With both Remco and Mikel on the team we can aim for a good result in the general classification," Steels said.
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"Mikel has a lot of experience, as do many of our riders, and together they make for quite a strong and balanced team. Looking on the parcours, I think you can easily say this will be one of the toughest editions in recent years.
"The start is very hard, we have some big climbs early in the race followed by that gravel stage, and then the second and third week will be very demanding.
"We need to be focused and at the top of our game to get some good results, and we are confident in this team and what it can do this July."
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