The two men had offered an epic duel during the last Vuelta, won by Remco Evenepoel. But Primoz Roglic is coming back stronger on this Giro 2023.
The hierarchy has reversed. Last September, when talking about their duel at the dawn of the Tour of Spain, Primoz Roglic was the favorite, and Remco Evenepoel the outsider. It was before the Belgian beat the Slovenian at all levels on the Vuelta, which he won by a wide margin, while Roglic had to give up on the evening of the 16th stage, leaving him the throne after three coronations in a row.
Seven months later, the two men meet again to chase another Grand Tour: the Tour of Italy. On the transalpine roads, Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel will both aim for their first Giro, in a revenge that has the cycling world salivating. Especially since during the Tour of Catalonia in March, won by Roglic by six seconds ahead of Evenepoel, the two men went blow for blow.
The pressure has changed sides
Irresistible since his triumph over the Vuelta, Remco Evenepoel has not come down from his cloud since September. In the meantime, he won the world championships, the UAE Tour, and has just lifted his arms alone in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Apart from second place in Catalonia behind Primoz Roglic, everything smiles on the “new Cannibal”, presented as the big favorite of the Giro, which he had discovered in 2021 (retirement on the 18th stage) for his recovery after his terrible fall on the Tour of Lombardy. “My level today compared to the one I had in 2021 is incomparable. I have become another runner. At the time, I had five weeks of preparation in my legs, there it has been five months since I training for this goal and I feel better than before the Vuelta“, insisted in a press conference Thursday the Belgian, who arrives “with a lot of confidence” on the Giro.
But he has every interest in being wary of Primoz Roglic, even if the latter will have to deal with several defections within his team, because of the Covid-19 (Foss, Gesink, Van Emden). “The grand bazaar has beguncommented Primoz Roglic. Of course it’s not the best thing that can happen, but we’ll deal with it. We will find solutions and we will go with the guys who are there. We have full confidence in them, they are my teammates and my state of health remains the same.”
With a team weakened and reshuffled at the last minute, Jumbo-Visma will not be able to count on its usual collective strength, but Primoz Roglic approaches this Giro with a wind of novelty. For once, the Slovenian is not the big favorite of the event, a status that has not always succeeded in the past, especially during the 2019 edition where he had to give up his arms (3rd) against Richard Carapaz. This outsider role could relieve him of some pressure, just like the psychological advantage taken over Evenepoel during the Tour of Catalonia. “Like fine wine, the older I get the better I am. It’s often the third hardest week and it still seems to be the case this time around. That’s where I’d like to have the best legs, it’s obvious”underlined the Slovenian Thursday in a press videoconference.
Conversely, the Belgian world champion arrives for the first time on a Grand Tour with the favorite sign on his back. He will have to assume his new status as world champion and Grand Tour winner, and will inevitably be more watched by the peloton. Unlike Vuelta 2022, Remco Evenepoel will not have Julian Alaphilippe as a luxury lieutenant. It will therefore be more complicated to control a peloton which promises to be much more provided than on the Spanish roads, even if the formation of Patrick Lefevere has decked him out as a preserve, deliberately abandoning sprints, his usual objective in Grand Round.
Ineos as an ally of circumstances?
“Me and the others, we are here to fight, for him (Remco Evenepoel) to make life a little more difficult on the way to Romewarned Primoz Roglic. There are a bunch of other champions and strong guys on this Giro. It will be a great fight.” Apart from the Jumbo-Visma, the Soudal-Quick Step of Evenepoel will have to have eyes everywhere to contain the other aspirants. With Tao Geoghegan Hart (winner of the Giro 2020) as leader, Ineos Grenadiers is thus advancing with a formidable team, since the Briton will have Geraint Thomas (winner of the 2018 Tour), the Frenchman Pavel Sivakov, Thymen Arensman or even Filippo Ganna for the ‘support.
UAE Emirates and its two leaders Jay Vine and Joao Almeida (surrounded by Brandon McNulty and Davide Formolo, among others) could also thwart the plans of Soudal-Quick Step, more used to enforcing its law on one-day races only over three weeks. This large field of contenders could be a great help for Primoz Roglic, in order to destabilize Remco Evenepoel. One thing is certain: this duel will punctuate the three weeks of racing. “He showed at Liège-Bastogne-Liège that he was in great shape but we will try to make life difficult for him”added the Slovenian on Thursday.
Whether on the three time trials on the program, or in the mountainous stages, the two men should go blow for blow, like the last Vuelta. “Last year, I still had some doubts about my ability to be at the same level as him in the mountains. But these doubts disappeared during the last Tour of Catalonia where we were equal in the climbs“, commented the Belgian on Thursday. A Vuelta where the Slovenian had also lined up after his fall on the Tour de France. This time, Roglic does not start by default: the Giro is his number 1 objective this season. And Remco Evenepoel: his enemy number 1.
