Evenepoel again corona-free: ‘He will have heart tests next week, no Tour and Vuelta’

Patrick Lefevere gives an update in conversation with Het Nieuwsblad and he is already helping cycling fans out of a dream: Evenepoel will skip both the Tour de France and Vuelta a España in 2023. The team boss called the world champion on Thursday morning. “For the first time he tested negative. We therefore think that he has been ill for a total of five days.”

And most importantly: Evenepoel was really sick, so he simply couldn’t continue. “Especially on Tuesday, the symptoms were the strongest: headache and sore throat. In addition to great fatigue. But now he’s better. We will rest him all weekend and he will have heart tests early next week.”

Program

In any case, Evenepoel will ride the BK time trial and the BK on the road if the tests are in order. “We had thought about the Critérium du Dauphiné, but it is still too early.” The Vuelta? Evenepoel does not drive that either. “Remco has already won the Vuelta. So no one would accept any other outcome from him. Moreover, it would again require quite heavy and very specific preparation.”