The cycling world is abuzz with speculation about Remco Evenepoel's recent struggles at the UAE Tour, with former Vuelta stage winner Adriano Malori casting doubt on the explanations provided. 'It's not possible that he suddenly gets dropped like the last rider in class,' Malori stated, sparking a debate about the true reasons behind Evenepoel's unexpected performance dip.
Evenepoel's week in the Emirates began with a dominant time trial victory, but then took a sharp turn with heavy time losses on Jebel Mobrah and another mountain setback on Jebel Hafeet. The Belgian attributed these setbacks to fatigue, recovery issues, and a lack of climbing prowess. However, Malori believes there's more to the story.
'To me it looked like Evenepoel went there to test the time trial, and the rest of the race didn’t interest him that much,' Malori said. He points out that Evenepoel's choice to ride the stage with a 68-tooth single chainring in the time trial could have contributed to the difficulties in the mountains. Malori argues that this was not an indulgence but a rehearsal, as riders need to test their gear and understand how to launch and accelerate effectively.
'There is no disadvantage. The distances are shorter now, cadence is higher. It’s not like the old 50-kilometre time trials at 78 rpm. The problem doesn’t exist,' Malori explained. This implies that the mountain losses were unlikely to have been caused by mechanical overreach.
Malori also questioned the structure of Evenepoel's early season, suggesting that the UAE Tour may have served as an endurance block rather than a peak performance target. He noted that Evenepoel did not appear at his leanest racing condition, implying that February in the desert is not July in the Alps. 'Jebel Hafeet is not Alpe d’Huez,' Malori pointed out, emphasizing the difference in terrain and the fact that Evenepoel's profile is built around steady-state climbing rather than explosive accelerations.
'I think he went there to test the time trial, he won it, and then he drew a line,' Malori added. This interpretation reframes the week as a staged build towards bigger goals, with the time trial being the priority rather than the overall classification. 'The important thing is that the team knew it. The rest doesn’t matter,' Malori concluded.
Evenepoel's openness in dissecting his setbacks has drawn mixed reactions, with some praising his transparency and others questioning whether the narrative of collapse is misplaced. Whether Evenepoel's interpretation proves accurate will only become clear later this spring, and ultimately in July, when the true test of his climbing prowess will come.
