The Giro d'Italia has just announced its route and the notification from Marca already warns that the track seems to have been designed especially for Remco Evenepoel. The new world champion can be enticed by a 70 km time trial even if the sponsors push him to bring the rainbow jersey to the Tour. His manager Patrick Lefevere doesn't want to know; he was waiting to figure out which roads the Giro was on, and he will probably be waiting to see the track of the Tour as well.

But in France they seem to have given up, if Alexandre Roos on L'Équipe talks this morning about a pink carpet for Evenepoel . “ The route of the next Giro takes the form of an invitation card for the new world champion. The mountain will be omnipresent, it is the distinctive feature of the Giro d'Italia, but this time it will be accompanied by three time trials, and it hasn't happened since the 2013 edition. A boon for a rider of the Belgian's caliber ” .

Evenepoel has already been to the Giro in 2021, when he retired after the Sega di Ala stage and numerous downhill falls. " But the context then - explains L'Équipe - was very different, his staff had the bad idea of throwing him into the pool of his first big lap in three weeks when he had not yet overcome the trauma of the serious fall in the descent of the wall. Sormano, at the 2020 Giro di Lombardia " .

The opponents? It's early to tell, Roos suggests. “Without Tadej Pogacar , this is already acquired ” , he writes, despite Aldo Grasso in Corriere della sera saying this morning that he can't wait to enjoy the duel in front of the TV.

Juan Gutiérrez on As also talks about the Giro d'Italia flirting with Evenepoel . Then he analyzes: “ In recent years there has been a trend among cycling enthusiasts to point to the Giro as the most beautiful race on the calendar. The fans are sovereign, of course. And they deserve all respect. But I disagree with this analysis. The Tour is always the Tour, with the best cyclists in the world in their best shape of the season. Those who prefer the Giro d'Italia do so because it is the last keeper of the essence and tradition, with its routes. In the pink race survive the great mountain ranges, the long mileage, the importance of the time trial. Her territory and mystique also help, but that doesn't mean all her tweaks are fun. On the contrary, the last Giro d'Italia, without going further, was quite soporific . The organization has taken note of those shortcomings , as can be seen from the 2023 route. The last week is always a concentrate of toughness, but there are other greedy days, such as the Crans Montana stage. In addition, the time trial kilometers rise to 70.6, even if 18.6 arrive on the penultimate day. It is a return to its nature and it is also a lure for Remco Evenepoel ” .  

More or less shared points of view, but just as in the modern world, marketing strategies have their importance in cycling too. This Giro d'Italia, in this sense, already seems to have hit the mark.