Remco Evenepoel says there is ‘room for growth and improvement’ ahead of Ardennes Classics tilt

Published 11/03/2024 at 18:17 GMT

Remco Evenepoel said there was “room for growth and improvement” when asked if he felt in his best form ever after dominating Stage 8 of Paris-Nice on Sunday. Evenepoel finished second in the overall classification as Matteo Jorgenson sealed victory. “I'm not performing poorly by any means, but I believe there's still room for growth and improvement,” Evenepoel said after the race.

Watch highlights as Evenepoel sprints to win Stage 8 of Paris-Nice, as Jorgenson takes GC

Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick-Step) says he has "room for growth and improvement" after missing out on Paris-Nice glory to Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), despite edging the American to win Stage 8 on Sunday.

Jorgenson won the overall race for the first time, with Evenepoel - looking for his maiden GC triumph in the event - settling for a second-place finish.

Evenepoel dominated proceedings on Sunday to seal the final stage, but when he was questioned over his form, the Belgian - who is eyeing the Spring Classics season next - said he can still improve.

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“I’m not sure,” Evenepoel said when asked if he was in his best form ever.

“I still need to undergo some altitude training, whereas many of the guys here have already completed several sessions.

“However, my upcoming priorities are the Ardennes Classics. I'm not performing poorly by any means, but I believe there's still room for growth and improvement.

“Ultimately, it's up to the coaches and the team."

Following Paris-Nice, Evenepoel admitted he was disappointed to miss out on overall success, but was pleased with how he finished.

“I'm not disappointed that I didn't win the overall classification,” the 24-year-old admitted.

“When you consider that only Matteo could keep up with me, he deserves the victory. I pushed myself to the limit three times on the Cote de Peille, but couldn't drop him.

“He truly earned this win," he added. "I'm more than satisfied with my final placement."

On Soudal–Quick-Step’s strategy for the race, Evenepoel admitted he was “utterly exhausted” from repeat attacks.

"[We aimed] to up the pace on the Cote de Peille, but the peloton had already thinned out significantly due to a nasty crash during the descent,” Evenepoel added.

“I managed to maintain a good position, which I've consistently done throughout the week. When I noticed there were only ten of us left, I decided to launch a few full-speed attacks and see how the others would respond. I believe I managed to tire them out considerably.

“I'll be honest: by the time we reached the top of Peille, I was utterly exhausted from the repeated attacks. But that's the price you pay to win races. You have to endure the suffering and go all out."