Deceuninck-QuickStep's Remco Evenepoel has revealed that he will target the Maglia Rosa at the Giro d'Italia in October.

Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo), Richard Carapaz (Team Ineos), and most recently Marc Soler (Movistar) have also confirmed that they will target the rematched Giro d'Italia, and Nibali has confirmed that 20-year-old Evenepoel is an experienced admits that he could be a threat despite his lack of experience.

Alberto Contador went even further, predicting that Evenpoel is one of the big contenders for the Giro d'Italia, and that he will be fighting for the maglia rosa until the final time trial in Milan.

In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Evenepoel was careful not to brag about his potential, but made it clear that he is ambitious.

"Overall success ...... That's a big word ......"

[11 Evenpoel said.

"With the Olympics not on the calendar, I decided to run the Giro to see what I could do. If I'm in good shape, I'll try for the Maria Rosa. Maybe for a few days, maybe until the last day. Whatever the outcome, I believe it is possible."

Evenpoel is only 20 years old, but in his debut pro season in 2019 he won the Baloise Belgian Tour, Clasica San Sebastian, and the European time trial title, and finished second behind Rohan Dennis in the time trial world championships.

Before a coronavirus outbreak interrupted his season in March, he won the Vuelta a San Juan and the Volta ao Algarve, gaining valuable seconds on his rivals in time trial ability and defending his race lead in hill climbing ability.

"This is a perfect year to run my first Grand Tour. The Giro d'Italia has been a big goal of mine since the winter. The new calendar made the choice difficult and I had to miss Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but the Giro is ideal for my development as a rider. It's the best choice," explained Evenpoel.

"I am working hard to make my Grand Tour debut special. I recently did some tests at home and found that my power has improved even more. In the Giro I want to give it my all every day and achieve the best possible result.

Evenpoel was honored to hear Contador's praise, suggesting that the Spaniard is a role model for the Grand Tour.

"Contador won the Grand Tour by always attacking and trying to achieve something special. I don't like to ride defensively or win by riding defensively. Sometimes I lose, sometimes I win, but I'm more satisfied when I get it done."

After winning the junior time trial and road race titles in 2018, Evenpoel was immediately compared to Eddy Merckx; his success in 2019 confirmed his great potential and heightened the comparison. However, Evenpoel is wiser than his age and seems to be a natural withstander of pressure and expectations.

His talent and composure seem to be innate.

"You'd have to ask my parents if I was born with my hands up as a sign of victory," he said, but he seemed to know it was true.

"I think you can always strive to improve, but if you don't win it's hard to maintain a winning mentality. It takes effort to succeed, and it takes drive to succeed. They affect each other."

Although Evenepoel spent the blockade period of COVID-19 at his parents' home in Belgium, he knew that the global pandemic would have a long-term impact on his career and life.

He was able to train outdoors, but also competed in several virtual events and set himself a series of personal challenges, including running the Liege-Bastogne-Liege route and climbing the Gerardsbergen 50 times.

"I needed a goal," he said. When all the races were cancelled, I planned my training so that I could stay focused and not lose the emotion of competing in some way." "

"With the rest of the country on lockdown, Bering was able to train outdoors, which was a clear advantage. It will make it easier for him to reach top form. He has already started training intensely and the signs are good. But I think we all know how to train better and what to do. We have two months until the World Tour races start. It's as if the season starts in November and the Tour Down Under in January.

Evenpoel is cautious about returning to normal life due to COVID-19, at least in the short term.

"I think it really won't be 100 percent like it was before until after the vaccine is available," he suggested. 'For the next year or so, we have to follow the same exact rules as we did with the supermarkets. A lot of people have died. We need to take all the necessary precautions."