Remco Evenepoel and sprinter Tim Merlier will share Soudal Quick-Step leadership at the Tour de France, the Belgian team announced on Tuesday morning.
After finishing third overall and winning the white jersey as best young rider last year, Evenepoel returns to the race targeting a spot on the podium once more, with the stage five time trial in Caen an early opportunity for a potential stage win and the yellow jersey.
Evenepoel finished fourth behind Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) at the recent Critérium du Dauphiné, but he comfortably beat the Slovenian in the race’s time trial to take the stage win.
"It’s my second Tour de France and I’m looking forward to the Grand Départ, which won’t be far from Belgium. I think it’s obvious that I’m aiming for a good general classification, but the most important thing will be to not lose time in the first half of the race, which should be a very nervous one, with lots of traps and tricky roads. Just like last year, I want to win a stage there and do a good GC, while taking it one day at a time," Evenepoel said.
As well as the double-Olympic champion and Merlier, Soudal Quick-Step’s team also contains Ilan van Wilder, Bert van Lerberghe, Max Schachmann, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Pascal Eenkhorn and Mattia Cattaneo.
Merlier returns to the Tour for the first time since 2021 with several early opportunities for success, including the opening flat stage in Lille. The Belgian has ten wins to his name already this year and will be able to count upon the likes of Eenkhorn for support in the opening week.
"The race can be divided in two parts. A hectic first half, without a proper mountain stage, but with a flat individual time trial where gaps can be made, and plenty of opportunities for the sprinters and the puncheurs. Tim and Remco will have a couple of chances, but important will be that everybody makes it through those ten stages safely," the team’s sports director, Tom Steels, said.
"The many mountain stages and the uphill time trial that come in the second part will make for an incredibly hard race, but also the last stage in Paris should play a role in the general classification. We have a strong and experienced team, capable of some nice things this summer, and so we start with a lot of confidence."
The Tour de France gets underway on Saturday in Lille.
