Lots of positive comments about Remco Evenepoel after Paris-Nice. Our compatriot seasoned stage racing well.
Remco Evenepoel received a lot of praise after his performance in Paris-Nice, but that was without Jan Bakelants. In Het Laatste Nieuws, he was not at all happy with what Soudal-QuickStep did in the French stage race.
He points to Friday's stage, where Remco Evenepoel clearly lacked help in pursuing Jorgenson, Skillmos and McNulty. Because in the end Evenpoel missed the final victory. Bakelants has a strong case ready.
“The rock in the waves, the guy who was set up to always be there, Mikel Landa, wasn't there. He didn't even participate. Then I ask myself: Why bring Landa in for a million or 1.5 million euros a year and then not recruit him? Where was Landa?”
Is Landa the right transmission for Soudal-QuickStep?
Especially since Evenpoel's focus in 2024 is on these types of races and the time needed to prepare together is very small. “If your season revolves around French stage races, I find it incomprehensible that you do not share your best transfers in Paris-Nice. Landa will be riding on his own account in the Tour of Catalunya next week. How so? Then you have not made the correct transfer.”
Bakelantis sees Landa driving fifty percent only for himself, while he should only donate himself for Evenpoel.
“You have to cultivate automation between the commander and the lieutenant. Landa needs to know when to drive to Evenpoel without consulting his commander or the support vehicle first. There has to be blind trust between the two. And it has to happen quickly, because they're not going to do 35 races together,” Bakelantis concludes.
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