Remco Evenepoel endured a period of "frustration and clashes" as he ended the season amid constant rumors surrounding his future and Jumbo-Visma's failed partial takeover of Soudal-QuickStep.

The Belgians celebrated their 3rd "Crystal Bike" award on Tuesday night and won the Het Laatste Nieuws-run awards show. It crowned him as the best male Belgian cyclist of the 2023 season.

Speaking with Sporza after winning his award – his 2nd consecutive – Evenepoel lifted the lid on what had been a tumultuous month for him and his team.

"I thought I'd be quietly preparing for Il Lombardia for 3 weeks, but that wasn't the case at all. It certainly wasn't optimal," Evenepoel said, referring to rumors of a merger that hit the headlines in late May.

"These rumors not only came out of nowhere, they must have had some truth. But it was difficult for me to say anything about it because I knew nothing about it.

"There was always a 'storm' around me and the team. That storm never subsided," he added, referring to reports of him leaving the Sudar Quickstep, which rumbles throughout the Vuelta a España.

"That means there was often frustration and some clashes during this period. The whole outside world should know this when it comes to next year."

Following the Spanish grand Tour, Evenepoel was among a handful of Soudal-QuickStep riders reported to have the potential to switch to Jumbo-Visma along with title sponsor Soudal in a move that would have seen the Dutch team remove key assets from the Belgian team. It was.

However, the merger was discontinued last week and Soudal-QuickStep was set to continue until the end of 2025 under the continued ownership of Patrick Lefevere and Zdenek Bakala.

"It was an uncomfortable time," said Evenepoel, who confirmed his future with the team after Il Lombardia over the weekend. "You're wearing a Soudal-QuickStep jersey, but I don't know if you'll be wearing that jersey again next year. But everything is over well.

Even Paul recently said his 2023 season would not be considered a "complete success" thanks to how his Grand Tour campaign turned out. In the COVID-19 match he took him out of the Giro d'Italia while leading the race, but the off・day at the Col du Tourmalé saw him win the Vuelta a España

nevertheless, in 2023 he still hopes that the majority of the Peloton will achieve with a full career. I have achieved more than I can dream of.

He won the Liege-Bastogne-Liege, World Championship time Trial title, Giro and Vuelta overall five stages (including the latter mountain classification), UAE Tour, Donostia San Sebastian Clasico, Belgian Road Title, Volta A Catalunya and Tour de France. He won three stages across Switzerland.

However, he has never made "100% preparation" for the race after his withdrawal from the Giro, and his 2024 season is fully focused on the Tour de France.

"[2024] everything is headed for May 7," he said. "Winning on stage is great. Next, I would like to see how long I can follow the 2 kings of the tour, [Jonas]Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and [Tadej]Pogağar (UAE Team Emirates). Then, when you arrive in Nice, the French coastal city that will host the tour finale in 2024, you will see where "my "ship" will land."