As the Tour de France looms large on the eve of the Critérium du Dauphiné, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) is rising in confidence, revealing that his level is already where it was during last year's Tour, with room to improve yet before the Grand Départ.
Can he close the gap to his two main rivals, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike)? Evenepoel is confident that it's possible.
At last year's Tour, the Olympic champion finished third on debut, but he'll only face the respective three and two-time Tour winners together for the first time since the Tour's finale in Nice at Dauphiné's start on Sunday.
It's the most highly anticipated three-way duel of the season so far at a stage race, and an opportunity to compete that Evenepoel is relishing to the maximum, but he made sure not to focus only on the two GC superstars.
"I think for all of us it's the first test to see where we're at in terms of shape, condition and just general race feeling, it doesn't necessarily have to be like a three-way battle, because for sure, there will be other guys in good shape as well," said Evenepoel over video call on Saturday.
"In Dauphiné, it's often the case that some guys are in very good shape, while some are a bit in growing shape still. This week is important, but I'm just going to look at myself and make sure I can do some nice things myself for my own build-up towards the Tour."
After his April return from injury, after being doored in December, Evenepoel hit the ground running with a win at Brabantse Pijl, before netting mixed results at the Ardennes Classics and Tour de Romandie. But with that racing block in his legs and an altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada, Evenepoel was more bullish about his chances for June and July.
"For sure, the confidence is bigger now than it was two months ago. Of course, I had a good racing load with the Classics and Romandie, then I had a very good training camp now in Sierra," he said.
"I think the point where I'm at now is probably around my shape of the Tour last year. So that's good, it means that I will be better in the Dauphiné this year than last year."
He's got the Dane and Slovenian in his sights, with his climbing form at Sierra Nevada surely prompting him into such confident statements.
"I really believe that I can, I can make a big step closer towards Tadej and Jonas in terms of climbing and GC. So for me, it's also pretty exciting to be here, especially with the stage on Saturday," said Evenepoel, about the stage 7 of the Critérium du Dauphiné route.
"I think it's going to be a very good test with the Croix de Fer and Madeleine, the big mountain stage. It's going to be a very good test to see where I'm at now, and, of course, I know that there is still some room for improvement towards the Tour.
"For the moment, I'm happy where I'm at now, and I believe that I can come closer to Tadej and Jonas."
While Evenepoel finished around nine minutes behind Pogačar and three minutes behind Vingegaard in the overall race for the yellow jersey, he was some way better than fourth place on GC, beating the first man off the podium by close to 10 minutes.
He lost that time in the Pyrenees and Alps, so he will want to be nearer the climbing shape of his two rivals come the Tour, with the Dauphiné the first chance this season to show he is right up there with the winners of the past five Tours collectively.
"It's always an important race. Every leader wants to feel where he is at the moment towards the Tour, if he's far away from other competitors, their shape, if he's far away from his own best shape," said Evenepoel.
"For me, it's going to be a very important week. I'm here with ambition. I want to do good. I want to be up there. Last year's result," finishing seventh, "of course, is not the result that I want to achieve this year.
"Let's say it's a different approach: I'm going to give myself to the maximum and then see where I'm at by the end of the week. But it would be very nice to feel that I can be up there to battle with Tadej and Jonas. That would already be a good sign for me towards the Tour to be up there against the two main competitors."
