Remco Evenepoel arrived in Belgium late Thursday night after three weeks of hard labor on Mount Teide with the Giro d'Italia in mind, but by Friday afternoon he was already preparing for his appointment with Tadei Pogachar this weekend in Liège-Bastogne-Liège with an implicit The message was.

Instead of simply spreading his wings with a Sourdal-Quickstep reconnaissance of the finale, Evenpoel ran the scales on the familiar Côte de la Redoute course, the scene of his victory a year ago. As it later turned out, his time on the climb was the fastest of the day on Strava, and the headline on Het Nieuwsblad was "I saw this, Taddej."

Perhaps more than a message to Pogachar, Evenpoel's effort in La Redoute was intended to clear his own doubts. As recent history has shown, preparing at altitude for the Giro is incompatible with racing for victory in Liège. The last man to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège and run the Giro was Alexandre Vinokurov in 2010.

Then again, such caveats hardly seem to apply to Evenpoel. Last August, for example, he included Clasica San Sebastián in his calendar as part of his high-altitude training before the Vuelta a España, and he won it single-handedly. Speaking to reporters Friday afternoon, he dismissed the notion that he had built up a disadvantage against Pogachar.

"My preparation was completely for the Giro, but Liège will be a big test, just like San Sebastian last year. I've been targeting Liège for the past week before focusing on the Giro again starting Monday."

"In Tenerife we worked on endurance anyway, and in Liège the fifth and sixth hours of the race are crucial. At the end of a big classic like Liège, the legs speak for themselves.

The difference for Evenpoel, who returns to defend his title in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, is not just in his preparation. His position, his competitors, and the route itself have all changed since this time 12 months ago. The rainbow jersey on his back, Evenpoel suggested, will help rather than hinder him on the Belgian roads for the first time this year.

Last year, Evenpoel attacked and won on the false flat atop La Redoute, a section that will be removed from the course in 2023. Instead, the race will go almost directly from the top of La Redoute to the Côte de Cornemont, and the Côte des Forges will be added before the final climb of the regular Roche aux Faucons.

"It's a pretty short answer, but it looks great and I like it," Evenpoel said of the altered finale. 'Especially the informal climb after La Redoute, it's hard. Especially the unofficial climb after La Redoute is hard.

"It will be a completely different strategy. There will always be 5-10km of ups and downs heading to the Côte des Forges, and there is also a 2km climb after La Redoute. It's going to be a very long final and if the weather forecast is for a tailwind, it's going to be a very hard final starting in Bastogne."

Pogachar's presence will no doubt also be a factor in Evenpoel and Soudal-Quickstep's strategy, as the 2021 Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner missed last year's race due to the death of her fiancé Urschka Gigart's mother ...

"We are not looking at anyone else. We are confident of winning this race. There are a lot of riders in good shape, but I think it makes sense that Tadej Pogachar is the real contender."

During his stay at high altitude in Tenerife, Evenpoel will share the Parador Hotel with Giro rival Primos Roglic and his Jumbo Visma team. He said, "In my breakfast and dinner room, I had to pass by their table to get to my table, so every morning and every evening we said good morning and good night to each other.

The Belgian rider said of the prospect of strengthening the Sourdal Quickstep cobblestone classic unit next spring, "Maybe next year. Maybe next year, maybe two, three, four, five years from now." But he dismissed the notion that Pogachar's form has begun to wane since his solo victory in the Tour de Flanders, citing his wins in the Amstel Gold Race and Flèche Wallonne last week.

"He's been at the top level for a very long time. It's not easy to do two races a week and stay in shape, but a rider like Taddei is a big talent and a big champion."

Pogachar has already fended off quality riders like Jonas Vingegaard, Wout Van Art, Mathieu Van Der Pol, and Tom Pidcock this spring. Evenpoel is late to the game in Liège.

"It's a special thing and an honor to be one of the two favourites to win the biggest classic of the year," Evenpoel said. 'Now I just have to stay calm and believe in my abilities.'

That includes backing yourself, even if it comes down to a sprint race against Pogachar.

"Of course, it is best to arrive alone, but I am not afraid to sprint against Pogachar. He's already beaten Roglic in a sprint, and I've already beaten Roglic," Evenpoel said, smiling.

"At the finish, the best is already over for everyone. At the finish, the best is already over for everyone. Hopefully, I'll be the least dead swan by then."