'There's definitely more to come' - Evenepoel continues perfect start to Red Bull era

Sunday’s 94km stage to Valencia saw a 21-strong break forge clear in the opening phase, but Evenepoel’s Red Bull squad policed the move over the climbs of the Port del Oronet and the Port del Garbí to ensure his yellow jersey was never under threat.

When João Almeida’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad tried to split the field in the finale, meanwhile, Evenepoel was always well placed near the head of the bunch, and he reached Valencia still in possession of the yellow jersey.

“I think the only moment of doubting was when the big group went because we never know the names in the breakaway in the first moment, so we were pacing and looking to see who was in front,” Evenepoel told Eurosport. “But then we decided to let the gap go to 1:40 or 1:50, and then everything was under control.” 

With Evenepoel’s teammate Emil Herzog up the road – he would place second behind stage winner Raúl García Pierna (Movistar) – Red Bull were happy to grant the break some leeway. The only frissons for Evenepoel in the finale came when UAE briefly splintered the peloton.

“The boys did a very strong effort today, and we also had one guy in the front, so it made no sense to close it,” Evenepoel said. 

“Everything seemed to be under control, then UAE tried to split the bunch with a bit of crosswind. That was a pretty smart move, I have to say, but we were always pretty well in front. We never lost control over the race.”

Evenepoel’s victory means he now has six victories from his first eight race days with Red Bull. He started his tenure by leading his squad to victory at the Trofeo Ses Salines team time trial and then added two individual wins in Mallorca.

In Valencia this week, Evenepoel won the individual time trial and then laid the foundations for overall victory by burning the race off his wheel on Cumbre del Sol to win stage 4. The centrepiece of Evenepoel’s season is the Tour de France in July, of course, but the Belgian shrugged off the idea that he is hitting form too soon.

“I hope not, but you never know of course,” said Evenepoel, whose next appointment is the UAE Tour (February 16-22), where he will face Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) though not Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike), who has opted out of the race.

“We have for sure a good balance between focusing and recovering. Next week I will go to the UAE Tour so there is a bit of recovery days in between. In the race, we know it can be quite easy with the bunch sprints, depending on the wind, and then there are a few days where I need to be ready for the GC." 

“So in general, it’s not the hardest week and we can keep everything under control so I can keep growing like I have done to now.”

Speaking to Het Laatste Nieuws, Evenepoel confirmed that he will resist the temptation to ride Milan-San Remo, instead sticking to his plan of attending an altitude camp between the UAE Tour and the Volta a Catalunya.

“After the UAE Tour, there will be a long altitude training camp, so I definitely won’t be adding Milan-San Remo to my schedule,” said Evenepoel, who is off to a remarkable start in Red Bull colours.

“This is a good start. I’m going to try to maintain this feeling. I can attack hard and then keep going. The hard work this winter is already paying off. There’s definitely more to come.”