Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) should wait till 2024 earlier than he can take a primary victory within the particular person time trial World Champion’s jersey, falling in need of the win at his last race of the season behind Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) on the Chrono des Nations.
Evenepoel continues to be solely 23, regardless of his expertise on the high stage, however is 4 years Tarling’s senior. The 19-year-old has been unimaginable in his neo-pro season, simply as Evenepoel was in 2019, taking 4 wins together with one at WorldTour stage alongside a nationwide and continental title within the particular person time trial.
The Belgian was impressed by the younger Brit because the pair had been the one riders able to sustaining a 52 kph common pace over the 45.4km course, and admitted he shall be alive to the specter of Tarling’s expertise come time trials in future.
“That can preserve me sharp and awake. If I need to beat Tarling or [Filippo] Ganna sooner or later, will probably be within the particulars,” mentioned Evenepoel to Het Laatste Nieuws. “These are males with actual energy. I should work arduous this winter to make progress.”
Tarling and Ganna had been the duo that completed on the rostrum behind Evenepoel within the time trial on the UCI Highway World Championships in Stirling, with the lightest of the three popping out on high and taking one other rainbow jersey so as to add to his highway race world title from the yr prior.
The Brit was one of many youngest-ever riders to complete on the rostrum of the elite ITT Worlds and the primary since Evenepoel to do in at age 19. The Belgian did go one higher than Tarling in 2019, ending second, not third as a young person.
On the Chrono des Nations, nonetheless, Tarling was quickest at every of the intermediate time checks, holding his highly effective tempo all the best way to the road in Les Herbiers. He added the senior race to his junior Chrono des Nations victory from 2022.
“If somebody is a little bit bit higher, I’ve to just accept that. I attempted my finest, I could not trip quicker than this at the moment,” Evenepoel mentioned. “Tarling received off to a quicker begin and has maintained that lead. I should not make excuses. The season is over now.
“I may have mentioned on the second intermediate level: okay, I will let it go now, I will not combat anymore. I nonetheless rode on character. I nonetheless had the religion that I may return regardless of that headwind.”
Evenepoel was unable to make up the deficit, ending the race 13 seconds down on Tarling, together with his win tally for 2023 remaining at 13, and his total victories at 50 after a hat-trick of stage triumphs on the Vuelta a España.
The three wins in Spain, nonetheless, had been a silver lining for the Belgian as he missed out on his greater purpose of defending the general title on the Vuelta which went to Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma), and an unlucky crash ruined his probabilities of combating for victory at Il Lombardia.
“Because the Vuelta, I’ve had issue discovering actual kind once more. It has not been a simple summer season, regardless of the great outcomes,” Evenepoel mentioned.
The Belgian is prepared for a break after 67 days of arduous racing in 2023 and all of the stresses that got here with a deliberate merger/take-over with Jumbo-Visma, which by no means got here to fruition. To not point out all of the switch rumours that adopted him till his affirmation of staying with Soudal-QuickStep after Lombardia.
He’ll search for additional success and a second Grand Tour victory in 2024, together with his presence additionally anticipated on the beginning line of the Tour de France alongside GC titans Tadej Pogačar (UAE Crew Emirates), Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and the newly-transferred Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe).