It was rumoured before the calendar reveal on the 10th of December in Mallorca, but when Remco Evenepoel talked to the media, the schedule he outlined did not include the UAE Tour. However, as it is being reported, the Belgian will indeed be present at the Emirati race this next February where a battle against Isaac del Toro is to be expected.Evenepoel is going to be starting his season on the 29th of January at the Trofeo Ses Salines, a new team time trial event in the Mallorca Challenge that will see Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe start with several riders that will be taking part in the Tour de France later in the year. The Tour will begin with a TTT in Barcelona, therefore a few teams are interested in ramping up the preparation for that specific day already.
From there on, the Belgian will be racing the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana close to his home in Spain, to test his early-season form. Initially, the schedule he outlined then only had the Volta a Catalunya as the next race, creating a month-and-a-half gap between the two races – with the Ardennes following after Catalunya. Whilst Evenepoel has an altitude camp at Mount Teide scheduled for that period, it was nevertheless odd that he wouldn’t compete for such a large amount of time.
Whilst Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe‘s plan is to have Evenepoel to a simple but effective season, the break was substantial and perhaps not beneficial. According to Het Laatste Nieuws, the decision has been made to add the UAE Tour to the calendar, perhaps with the aid of the race organizers who have made a big push to have the star present.Evenepoel faces off with UAE If this does happen, he will be going head-to-head with a few riders that have already confirmed their presence such as Isaac del Toro and Jay Vine of UAE Team Emirates – XRG; Antonio Tiberi and Damiano Caruso of Bahrain – Victorious; and David Gaudu.