Remco Evenepoel will ride the Giro d’Italia next year, it was confirmed by his Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team on Wednesday.
There had been much speculation over which Grand Tour Evenepoel would ride in 2023, but his team announced this morning via social media that the Belgian will be heading to Italy next May.
In a short video shared on the team's Twitter, Evenepoel said: “I’m in Italy for the moment to do some recons for a special announcement which I will make now. I will ride the Giro in 2023. I’m really really looking forward to it.
“It will be a special edition as I will be wearing my rainbow jersey, so I’m really looking forward. I’m now here in Amalfi… doing some recons and having fun. I hope to see you very soon in Italy and I hope you will come out to watch me and the whole team because we hope to do very well again, and we are looking forward to seeing you in Italy.”
A short statement released by Quick-Step confirmed the news and said that Evenepoel, who is the current world champion and most recent Vuelta a España winner, had set his sights on the 2023 race.
“Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl’s Remco Evenepoel will ride the Giro d’Italia in 2023, returning to the race where he made his Grand Tour debut, the statement read. “Following an unprecedented 2022, which saw him take fifteen victories, including Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Clasica San Sebastián, two stages and the general classification at La Vuelta a España, and the World Road Race Championships, Remco has set his sights on the Corsa Rosa in 2023.”
When the 2023 route for the Giro was announced in Milan, it was confirmed that the race would feature 70 kilometres of time trialling, Evenepoel’s forte.
Despite the announcement, team manager Patrick Lefevere was quick to quash any speculation, and said that he was ruling out nothing for the Belgian with the Tour de France also in the team’s thinking.
“Over the next few weeks we’ll take a closer look at everything and make a final decision. Remco has proven that he can also go uphill,” he said. “In the Giro, in addition to the three time trials, there are also mountain stages.”
“I don’t rule out anything for Evenepoel. A good Remco can do well on every kind of course,” Lefevere added.
Today, with the news confirmed that Evenepoel will head to Italy, all eyes will now turn to Ineos Grenadiers and Geraint Thomas, as the Welsh rider recently admitted that he preferred the look of the Italian Grand Tour to the Tour de France next year.
Thomas recently said that he felt he had a score to settle with the Giro after disappointment in previous editions.
