Remco Evenepoel makes his return to competition on home soil.
Remco Evenepoel is ready to pin on a number for the first time this season for Friday’s edition of Brabantse Pijl, the appetizer before the start of the Ardennes Classics. The double Olympic Champion, who completed an altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada with some of his teammates, has competed in the Belgian one-day race only once before, in 2022, when he finished in the top ten after a strong ride.
“I am counting the days until I can race with the guys again for the first time in more than six months. It’s been a long time since my previous outing with the team, but I am happy to be so close to my return. I’ve worked hard all these months, I’ve been on a solid training camp in Spain, and I feel good and motivated for Brabantse. I’m not going there with any specific goals, as the most important thing will be to get the race rhythm back after all this time”, Remco said.
Joining Evenepoel on the Soudal Quick-Step line-up for the 65th edition of Brabantse Pijl will be Pascal Eenkhoorn, Gil Gelders, British Champion Ethan Hayter, Thomas Pesenti – who comes from the Devo Team – Pepijn Reinderink and Pieter Serry, a podium finisher here in 2012.
Running between Beersel and Overijse, over a 162.6km course comprising a total of 21 climbs – some of them featuring cobbles – the race is set to be a demanding one, without a single moment of respite for the riders. The last difficulty of the day will once again be the famous S-Bocht Overijse, coming just before the finish, a hill which averages 4.2% over 1300 meters.
“It’s not a World Tour event, but that doesn’t mean Brabantse Pijl is an easy race. On the contrary, it’s one of the hardest one-day races of the spring, with countless climbs and narrow roads that should make for an action-packed and really tense day. We have a strong team for Friday and we hope to be in the mix and get a good result at the end of the day”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Dries Devenyns.
Photo credit: ©Sam Baguet
