World TT champion Remco Evenepoel did not mince words about Saturday’s Olympic time trial course in Paris. After a recon of the route for the race along with teammate Wout van Aert, the Belgian held a press conference. Evenepoel has just completed his first Tour de France, finishing an impressive third. However, he says he’s still feeling the effects of the three-week race.
“I spent most of Monday in bed. Tuesday I rode a bit, but that didn’t feel so great, just like Wednesday and Thursday. I have to wait and see how Saturday goes,” he said. “It was a very demanding final week in the Tour. Recovering is not easy, but I still have two more days. We’ll see if it will be enough for me. In any case, I came out of the Tour full of confidence, and that already is giving me a mental advantage.”
Evenepoel is one of the big favourites for the time trial, along with Filippo Ganna, who did not race the Tour.
“We can count ourselves lucky that we can take that extra gear. The course is not too technical. I come out of the Tour with a good feeling, so it doesn’t scare me,” he said. “I always aim for the highest, but I know I might not be 100 percent.”
Although there aren’t that many tough turns on the Olympic TT course, the actual surface isn’t ideal.
“They are shit roads. It’s not pleasant. The road surface is quite bad,” he said. “That can be a problem if you have black spots in front of your eyes in the final kilometres. For the rest, it’s mainly straight and quick. And it’s also nice for sightseeing.”
Although there aren’t any major climbs in the capital of France, the course still has undulations.
“On paper, it looks very flat, but it’s constantly a false flat,” he said. “It’s going to hurt the legs. Cadence, big gears, and keeping my position: that is what is going to be important for me.”
Racing begins at 8:30 a.m. EDT. Canadian Cycling Magazine will have reports and analysis from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Be sure to click our special Olympic section on the website.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…