‘Never felt better’ - Evenepoel’s best early-season legs ahead of Valenciana test

After three victories in three starts for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Remco Evenepoel has hit the ground running with his new team, and will be looking to extend the early season success at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana which kicks off on Wednesday. 

The Belgian is full of spirit following his recent performances, and has admitted that his sensations are better than ever at this stage of the season.

“My season won't depend on this race, but we want to make the most of it and aim for the overall victory,” Evenepoel told Het Laatste Nieuws. “I haven't done any altitude training yet and still need to make progress, but I've never felt better in my legs at the start of my season than I do now.”

Evenepoel returns to the Valencia stage race for the first time since 2022 where he finished runner-up, and is seeking one position higher, though knows it won’t be a walk in the park with Vuelta a España runner-up João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) among those who are also set to be in the hunt.

“The level here is definitely different than in Mallorca. It won't be handed to me on a silver platter,” Evenepoel told Sporza. “But it's motivating to perform against such guys and to test myself. It's a new step towards everything that's to come.”

The five-stage race kicks off with a stage that is suited for the sprinters, and Evenepoel previously joked about his 100% win rate in 2026 coming under threat. 

Instead the Olympic and World time trial champion will have his sights set on victory on stage 2’s 17km race against the clock before a difficult stage 4, which will also have a big impact on the overall standings. 

“We'll take it stage by stage, but it's pretty clear that I'm going for the win in the time trial and trying to gain as much time as possible,” said Evenepoel. “After that, we can look at the important Saturday stage.”

According to Evenepoel, the Volta Comunitat Valenciana was not even initially part of the Belgian’s plans as he gears up towards the Tour de France in the summer.

“According to the initial plan, I wouldn't have ridden this race, but the team bosses wanted me to race a bit earlier, I think,” said Evenepoel, who will also tackle the UAE Tour, which begins on February 16.

Evenepoel highlighted the usefulness of another week racing in Spain ahead of a blockbuster showdown in the Middle East where he will face the likes of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). 

“It's a challenging race that can serve as a stepping stone towards the UAE Tour,” said Evenepoel.