Remco Evenepoel to focus on winning 2023 Giro d'Italia

Vuelta and World road race Champion Remco Evenepoel will ride the Giro d'Italia in 2023, rather than the Tour de France

The 22-year-old Belgian posted a video on social media from the beach at Amalfi. The 2023 Giro will pass through the resort on stage six, which starts and ends in nearby Naples.

"Ciao tutti! I'm in Italy for the moment to do some recons," said Evenepoel, who was wearing a crash helmet and a cycling jersey with the world champion's rainbow on it. "I will ride the Giro in 2023."

"It will be special as I will be wearing my rainbow jersey."

The head of his Quick-Step team, Patrick Lefevere, had already said he would prefer Evenepoel to wait until 2024 to try the Tour de France.

In October, Evenepoel, who is a time trial specialist, told reporters: "I know after my success in Spain, there are a lot of comments from people who want to see me soon on the Tour de France.

"We will see the routes and notably their profiles and time-trial kilometres."

The Giro in May includes three time trial stages, totalling 70.6 kilometres which suits Evenepoel. The Tour de France in July has just one time trial of 22km.

Evenepoel made his Grand Tour debut in the 2021 Giro but dropped out after a crash on the 17th stage.  

He flagged on the tough gravel inclines of stage 11. His teammate, João Almeida, was in a group ahead – despite supposed to be working as a domestique – and was eventually forced to slow down and wait for a seething Evenepoel. The young Belgian lost two minutes that day, then lost 24 minutes in the mountains a few stages later and eventually abandoned the race after being caught up in a crash on a descent in the final 30 km the day before.