But his team definitively silenced speculation with a team announcement of Daniel Martinez, Maxim Van Gils, Finn Fisher-Black, Haimar Etxeberria, Callum Thornley, Luke Tuckwell, Gianni Vermeersch, and notably, no Evenepoel.
Asked about the Evenepoel speculation and his bike with the team in France, Red Bull sports director Klaas Lodewyck outlined that a repeat of the late Tour of Flanders announcement would not be coming.
“After what happened before Flanders, people think we are going to do the same thing again, but the bike is here because it is logistically easy,” Lodewyck told Sporza.
However, Evenepoel will be in the region over the coming week, and is set to recon some climbs and stages that will be in the Tour de France next month. His bike’s presence at the race is merely to make logistics a simpler process.
“His bike is in the truck. After this race, we have a few more recons planned. I am staying here, and that way we can easily take the bike with us.”
Evenepoel’s race-less build-up to the grand tour has gained headlines, with the team insisting that all is well and on track, some analysts and commentators have criticized the low-key build-up, with Geraint Thomas recently stressing the importance of racing to fine-tune progress.
Lodewyck remained tight-lipped but insisted all is well: “Let’s say he is on the right track. I think we can be satisfied with how he has developed.”