Remco Evenepoel will make his debut at the prestigious race next week.
One month after his first victory in the World Champion jersey – the UAE Tour general classification – Remco Evenepoel is ready to pin on a number again and resume competition in just a couple of days, when he’ll line-up for the Volta a Catalunya (20-26 March), one of the oldest events in the world and the ninth World Tour stop of the season.
The 102nd edition of the race, which starts from Sant Feliu de Guixols, promises to be one of the hardest in history, as it features three summit finishes that will dominate the narrative of next week before the traditional showdown in Barcelona: Vallter, La Molina, and Mirador del Portell, arguably the hardest ascent of the week, averaging 9% over 8.4 kilometers, but featuring some excruciating 20% gradients that can put many of the riders in the red and widen the gaps between the contenders.
Evenepoel, who has eleven stage race successes to his name since turning pro in 2019, will lead Soudal Quick-Step at the Volta a Catalunya, where he will be supported by a strong squad consisting of Mattia Cattaneo, Jan Hirt, Fausto Masnada, as well as fellow countrymen Pieter Serry, Ilan Van Wilder and Louis Vervaeke.
“We have a solid, experienced and very confident team for what we hope will be a good test to find out where the guys are at the moment following their recent altitude training camp. The main goal is to get a stage victory there and fight for a good general classification. We hope to be in the thick of the action every time it matters, to have a strong outing and show the Wolfpack spirit and mentality”, said sports director Klaas Lodewyck.
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