Remco Evenepoel relishing chance to face 'super good' Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar ahead of Vuelta a Espana

Updated 02/08/2023 at 20:17 GMT

Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) have proved to be a class above in the last few years, but how close is Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep)? Evenepoel will meet Vingegaard when he defends his Vuelta a Espana title this month and is also relishing the chance to take on Pogacar in the future. He says both have reached an "incredibly high level".

Evenepoel claims record-equalling third win at Clasica San Sebastian

Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) is relishing the chance to test himself against Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, suggesting he can match the “super good and crazy” duo.

Vingegaard and Pogacar have shown themselves to be the best of the best in the last few seasons.

They have won the last four editions of the Tour de France between them, and at the recent edition of the Grand Tour, won by Vingegaard, looked well clear of their rivals.

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Evenepoel will get the chance to go up against Vingegaard when both race the Vuelta a Espana, which starts on August 26.

He also looks set to face Pogacar at the upcoming UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, with both events live on Eurosport and discovery+.

Asked how he thinks he stacks up against cycling’s ‘Big Two’, Evenepoel said: “That is a very difficult question.

“We will never know, maybe after next year's Tour [when Evenepoel is set to make his debut at the race]. But if I can believe all the calculations that have been made on the basis of watts per kilo, then Tadej and Jonas have shown figures in the Tour that I have already achieved. Although they did that, of course, day after day.

“I think both of them have reached an incredibly high level this year, really impressive.

“Now it's up to me to work hard in the coming year so that I can take big steps forward to get close to those two super good and crazy riders.”

Evenepoel will be the defending champion at the Vuelta after landing his first Grand Tour win at the race last year.

His chances of a repeat win look to have been complicated by the involvement of Vingegaard, who announced at the Tour de France that he would be joining team-mate Primo Roglic at he Vuelta.

“I think everyone should be happy that the double winner of the Tour de France is doing another Grand Tour,” said Evenepoel.

“For me personally, it doesn't change much either, but I'm looking forward to racing against him.

“I also think that Jonas was not at his limit at all, if I still saw his face in the last mountain stages of the Tour. Maybe he will be two or three per cent less than in the Tour de France but with his qualities, at 97 per cent, he is still 10 per cent better than many others.”

Before the Vuelta, Evenepoel will be defending his road race title at the UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow.

Evenepoel recently claimed a record-equalling third Clasica San Sebastian title.

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Stream the 2023 Cycling World Championships and Vuelta a Espana live and on-demand on discovery+ and eurosport.com.

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