'Yes, I can win' - Evenepoel backs himself ahead of long awaited Tour of Flanders debut

“It’s amazing,” Evenepoel said ahead of the start to Eurosport. “Since I was a very young kid, I was always watching this race. I used to live really close to the Bosberg, which was the deep final in previous editions. It’s something that has always been in me.”

He paused briefly, then added with a smile: “To finally be here at the start… it feels like it took me way too long.”

At 26, his absence from the cobbled Monument has often raised eyebrows. Evenepoel pointed to a mix of team decisions and different sporting priorities. “I think it was just about timing,” he explained. “Different goals, different choices within the team. Now it feels like the right moment.”

Still, familiarity with the roads does not equal certainty. Evenepoel knows the difference between training and racing on the Flemish climbs. “Of course I know these roads from training, but racing is completely different,” he said. “It’s going to be a big discovery for myself. We’ll see how it goes, but I think I should be ready. I did enough recon, I watched the race a lot of times.”

Preparation, however, is only part of the equation in a race defined by chaos and positioning. “We need to get into the final as economically as possible,” he said. “That’s difficult in this race, but it’s key. We have to try to be there with as many teammates as possible.”

From there, his focus shifts to the decisive phase. “I think from the second time on the Oude Kwaremont, it’s going to be all about the legs,” Evenepoel noted. “With the wind the way it is, it could become a very early and long final. Once we hit the cobbles, it’s full focus. You have to be ready for every single moment.”

And when asked the simplest question of all, whether he believes he can win on debut, Evenepoel did not hesitate.

“Yes.”