The curtain is about to come down on a truly great season for Remco Evenpole, with a stage win and podium finish in the Tour de France, two Olympic gold medals, and the reclaiming of the world championship time trial title.

But when it comes to the landmark but roller-coaster final race of 2024 for the leader of Il Lombardia and Sourdal Quickstep, no one really knows after a year of fatigue, including a severe crash and injury this past April. As Evenpoel told reporters Friday afternoon, even finishing Il Lombardia in Como could be considered a success in some ways.

Not only is Evenpoel's form unpredictable, but it is even more uncertain what results can be achieved given that, like the other contestants in Il Lombardia, he will be up against an outstanding favorite like three-time winner Tadei Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates)

Plus, the team will have a lot of experience in the field.

On the plus side, Evenpoel has no ill-feeling at all about the moment this Saturday when he and the peloton will pass the Corma di Solmano, which suffered a terrible accident in 2020. The fact that this year's race is in the opposite direction from four years ago, uphill instead of downhill, will likely help. But more importantly, however, the Belgian, who went to see the site of the crash in 2021, explained that he is already over the ghosts of the past.

Muriel Füller's accident in the World Championship junior women's road race two weeks ago had even more tragic consequences.

In his answer, Evenepoel quietly noted, “It's not for me to say that we have to change this or that. But he also pointed out one of the key problems with the tragic events of September 26 in Zurich, “It is not my place to say that we must change this or that, but that we must change that.

And even if he did not want to take a particular position, the Belgian nevertheless made a compelling and powerful argument that this lack of prompt information could strengthen the case for in-race radios for riders, at least in some events He stated.

“Of course, what happened in Zurich was an in-race accident, and my only point is that if there were riders with radio communication available, they could tell the car about it [the accident] and the car could communicate with the jury [race commissaire]. That way, at least the ambulance could have arrived earlier.”

“Maybe that is why radio communication should be allowed in international competitions such as the World Championships, European Championships, and the Olympics. The big problem this time in Zurich was that nobody knew about the crash.

“There were racers around. But of course, when you see somebody crash, you think, 'Okay, that person is going to get up and continue racing'”

.

“Like I said, if there was no (TV) footage, nobody was watching from the car, and the riders couldn't say anything, then I think (the absence of information) was the biggest problem here.

“But of course, it's not for me to say change that or change this. Last year, when Gino [Mader, who died in an accident at the 2023 Tour de Suisse], there was no protection on the shoulder at the downhill finish to stop him from going into the valley. 'I think what you just said is the second big thing. At least when you see it happening you can tell it to the machine and they can tell it to the judges and take action.

What Evenpoel says about his personal good fortune in these situations also applies to his own big crash at Il Lombardia in 2020. Television footage showed him spinning on a low stone wall on a bridge down Colma di Solmano. He was spotted within minutes, allowing rescuers to begin their rescue efforts more quickly.

“I'm over that moment,” he replied when asked if the crash was still a bad memory or if he was over it.

“I visited that place last year after the race, and I think it was a good decision to go there with myself and (my partner) Oumi to see the point where it all happened and try to analyze what I did wrong.

“My fear of the roads around here has eased a bit.

It was a good decision to go up Solmano instead of down it at Il Lombardia this year, he said. But, he insisted, “I've completely forgotten about that time. It has matured me and made me more open to things than before. It doesn't mean anything special to me, and I've done great things since then,” he said. I was able to ride across the bridge on a bicycle painted gold in honor of recently becoming an Olympic champion.

With such episodes firmly in the past, Evenpoel is clearly ready to focus on the race itself; having once scouted the route of Il Lombardia, which will change again in 2024, he says he knows most of the finale but in any case, his underlying disease remains a question mark.

The Colma di Solmano (the second longest final climb of the 2024 race) is 13 km long, “a very tough final,” Evenpoel reasoned.

“Going up a long climb in the last race of the season is special and requires a lot of energy. But on the other hand, we hope to reach Como. It's a very nice course.”

What is important for Evenpoel is how far away from top form he is and, as a result, whether he can deliver a major performance. On the plus side, the fact that he will be joining Il Lombardia, unlike other top players like Primoš Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) who have chosen to pull down the blinds for the 2024 season, shows that there is some room for optimism.

However, as Evenpoel explained, this season has been very erratic, through no fault of his own, thanks to a fall and broken collarbone in Iturria-Basque this spring. So going into Lombardia, his default position is to hedge his bets and see what happens on the road.

“If you have a healthy year with no problems, I think everything is possible to stay in top condition, and I proved that in 2022 when I was at a very high level from June to the last week of the season.

“But this year, after the Basque, I was in a hurry to get in shape for July. So now I just have to wait for the results.” Like I said before, I got injured before the Tour and I got sick after the Olympics, so it wasn't the best preparation for the World Championships or this race.

“I am still fully capable. Whether this is for the championship or not, I don't know at this point.”

As for how the 2024 Fallen Leaves race will unfold, Evenpoel believes that the four classification mountains in the early stages will make this early part of Lombardia very much tougher than the last 100km. As a result, the first result will almost inevitably be a big battle with a strong breakaway group.

But it is the second result of a hard start that top contenders like Evenpoel will be most interested in. The key to success in a race as unpredictable as Il Lombardia will be to keep the legs fresh toward the end of the race after a tough challenge in the early stages.

Even though this is the last Monument of the season, it will be the first race of the season for Evenpoel, who missed Liège-Bastogne-Liège due to an injury to Itzuria. Although his participation in one-day races has been few and far between, it is not surprising that interest is growing in his plans for the 2025 Classic.

The Belgian rider spoke about his first ideas for next spring at a press conference before the last race of 2024. But rather than offering bombshell news about de Ronde, it was intended to dampen household expectations that he would make his long-awaited debut at the Tour de Flanders as the first installment.

“As for next year, we'll have to see,” he said. Perhaps the Flanders Classics is a little too difficult for my larger goals and what I really want to accomplish with this program.”

“If there is a possible Classic in 2025, it would be San Remo. Except for the Ardennes, of course. Except for the Ardennes, of course. But Flanders and San Remo are more likely than not.

Nevertheless, Evenpoel is definitely in the running for Saturday's Il Lombardia, where he is expected to improve on his career-best finish of ninth last year in his fourth appearance in five events.

But whatever happens on the roads of northern Italy this weekend, after a season like the Belgian's, anything he achieves in the first and last monument of 2024 can only be considered a bonus.