"Mamba Mentality 😈": Remco Evenepoel starts preparing for 2025 mission

Evenepoel debuted in the Tour de France this season with a beautiful third place in the GC. Furthermore, the Belgian won one of the two time trials and triumphed in the youth classification. It was a great debut, although the rider was frustrated by the gap to the overall winner, Tadej Pogacar. Indeed, the difference was more than nine minutes. So if Evenepoel wants to realize his ambition of winning the Tour, he must make a big step in the coming years.

Evenepoel may not put everything on the Tour next year but will also compete in the Giro d'Italia. ''The big advantage is that there are no Olympics next year. Last year, we knew I would have been completely exhausted before the Games if I had done the Giro-Tour combination. And in the end, I am happy we didn't do it. Now, maybe we can reconsider. And then, as always, aim for a World Championship, for Lombardy, " Evenepoel said recently. With the emphasis on the grand tours, the Olympic champion may ride fewer spring classics in both time trial and road races. For sure, his debut in the Tour of Flanders will not be before 2025.

However, Evenepoel has strong ambitions for 2025, which require a good base. On Saturday, Evenepoel began laying that foundation. His first training ride after the off-season was not so impressive at just over eighty kilometers, but at least he kicked off the start. With "Mamba Mentality," he refers in his post to the book and mentality of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, who passed away in 2020.