Remco Evenpole, the reigning Flemish rider of the year, said Tuesday night that his goal for 2025 is “to win a Grand Tour.”

The title, awarded by Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, is the second for the Belgian, who won an Olympic gold medal, a Tour de France podium and his second world time trial title in 2024, following his first in 2022.

After the ceremony, Evenpoel spoke to this newspaper about his goals and program for the upcoming season.

“Last year, it was impossible to combine the Giro and the Tour if I wanted to be at my best for the Olympics. But I want to see what the course is like first and then think about it,” Evenpoel said.

“If I run the Giro, I won't run the Ardennes Classics like La Flèche Wallonne or the Amstel Gold Race. If I am healthy, I would not skip Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

“Paris-Roubaix was one idea. But that was before I tasted the Tour. I will not ride the Tour de Flanders next season. Milan-San Remo is still an option, depending on whether I choose Tirreno-Adriatico or Paris-Nice. We haven't talked about specific programs yet. We have talked about ideas and goals.”

Evenepoel said that following his first victory in the 2022 Vuelta a España, “I want to feel the sensation of winning a Grand Tour again.” He said his third place in the 2024 Tour motivated him to win again.

“That will be the focus,” he said. Last season I dominated the time trial. Last season I dominated the time trial. Tadej Pogachal and Jonas Vingegaard are my new reference points. Everyone knows that my remaining goal is to win the Giro and the Tour. [I finished nine minutes ahead of Pogachar and three minutes ahead of Vingegaard. He joked: “Let's hope Pogachar doesn't progress,” he joked, then said his realistic goal is to close the gap to five minutes.

Evenpoel said another goal is to “dare to go for it on a really good day.” He cited stage 17 of the 2024 Tour, the mountain stage to Superdevolui, when he was 10 seconds ahead of Pogachar and 12 seconds ahead of Vingegaard, as an example of a day when he could have been more close.

“In terms of feeling, it was the best day of 2024. I felt really good, but I was afraid to move.” With three kilometers to the finish, I pulled away from the racers. I saw they didn't react and I thought, 'what the hell is this?'"

“I kind of panicked about whether I should continue now or make a reserve. I know that if I find myself in that situation next year, I will have to give it everything I have.”

Evenpoel also quoted Suredal-Quick Step team boss Patrick Lefebvre as saying that the entire team must be in top shape for the Tour in the future. [The Tour is not a toy. It is not easy to run GC there. Everyone has to give 110%. I'm not going to say we weren't good this year, but I think we could have been better.

“We're talking about how certain riders are doing. Patrick confirmed that. If we want to be competitive against teams like Visma Lease-a-Bike and UAE Team Emirates, we have to raise the bar collectively. But they know that. I also pointed out right after the Tour that it is a big thing to work on. It's up to the riders and coaches to get it right.”

Evenpoel will look to himself and the team as a whole in addition to winning the Vuelta. But he will not hide behind Pogachar, who was nearly unbeatable in 2024, to seek victory.

“I'm not going to fit into Taddei's program,” Evenpoel said. 'I really like racing with Pogachar. In addition to being a great champion, he is just a good guy.

“I consider it an honor to compete and race with him. I consider it a challenge to beat him. I've already won the race he started in. Hopefully there will be races like that from time to time next season.”