Remco Evenepoel wants to ride in the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in 2024, but his Soudal・QuickStep team manager Patrick Lefevere has made such a heavy jump for his young team leader

Evenepoel wants to ride in the Giro d'Italia in 2023 due to COVID・19. Having been kicked out of De Italy, he could be tempted to return to next season to try to win Maglia Rosa before making his debut on tour, perhaps without overall winning ambition.

The combination of Giro and tour will be particularly difficult in 2024, with Evenepoel hoping to target Liege-Bastogne-Liege in late May 4 and a time trial at the Paris Olympics after the Tour de France.

"Lemco sat around the table yesterday with his directeur sportif Klaas Lodewyck and coach Koen Pelgrim and discussed his plans," Lefevere told Sporza and other Flemish at the route presentation in Paris

"He is still open an account with the giro and wants to combine the tour and Giro." I was thinking about that. But for what comes next, for example, at the Olympics, the combination of the Giro tour does not seem to be the best idea for me."

Evenepoel was not in Paris for the route presentation as he prepared to take a vacation and enjoy the offseason following the intense 2023 season. He seems determined to make his debut at the Tour de France in 2024 and Soudal・QuickStep is ready to back up his ambitions.

Two time trials are suitable for the current world champion, but a high climb in the Alps and a tough final week to test his endurance warned Lefevere against expecting too much from his 23-year-old team leader.

"On his first tour, Lemco doesn't have to do anything and everything is allowed," suggested the Belgian team manager.

"The time trials are in Evenepoel's favor, but I'm sure Jonas Vingegaard also liked them. It's a tough tour. I think it is a very difficult tour, with one of the most difficult tours in recent years, more difficult than this year."

Lefevere warned that the fight for the yellow jersey could explode as early as Stage 4 over the Col du Galibier in the Alps and continue until the final nice time trial.

"If not, I think the tour can be decided in the fourth stage. The tour ends in Nice, but the Peloton's current riders fight with an open mind and always go for it," Lefevere suggested.

Soudal-QuickStep's team of eight riders will probably be built around evenepoel, with no place for sprinter Tim Merlier and the new signing Mikel Landa sure to be on board, but Julian Alaphilippe could ride with Evenepoel.

"I have no doubt about the team. I always said: If the leader is good, the team is good," Lefevere said, as Evenepoel's father moved his son to Ineos Grenadiers or Jumbo-Visma after a general complaint about the quality of the Soudal-QuickStep Grand Tour roster

"There's less surprises on the route and fewer sprints, so it's a pure sprint." I am a fan of the gravel road of the Grand Tours, I can not win the tour on stage like this, but I can lose.

Lefevere will now go home to discuss further with the Soudal-QuickStep performance team, especially Evenepoel.

"We need to create a balanced program before the tour. The combination of Giro and tour is not 100% excluded, but it is not recommended," he said.