The 23-year-old Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick Step) will defend the red jersey as the winner in the next edition of the Vuelta, which will start on August 26 in Barcelona and end on September 17 in Madrid, and in which it will be his return to a ‘big’ after his abandonment in the Giro d’Italia 2023.
“I’ll be back and ready to defend my title in La Vuelta 2023. Looking forward to a new battle on the beautiful Spanish roads. See you in Barcelona!“The current world champion announced this Monday on his Twitter account.
Despite the fact that the director of the Soudal, Patrick Lefevere, said that it was better that he did not contest the Tour of Spain when he checked the level at which he returned from his injury, he changed his decision. “Remco Evenepoel wants to take on high challenges, and if everything goes well in the concentration and he doesn’t have any problems, he will participate in La Vuelta,” Lefevere told the Belgian newspaper DH.
Last year’s winner will be at the start of Barcelona together with Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma), Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) or Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) and in the absence of knowing the presence of other potential favorites, such as the second classified in the Last year, Enric Mas (Movistar Team), or Richard Carapaz (Education First), injured in the first stage of the Tour.