Vervaeke sees differences between Dumoulin and Evenepoel: "Remco is bolder in using his team"

Louis Vervaeke is an important player for Soudal-Quick Step in the Giro d'Italia. The main goal? To help Remco Evenepoel get the pink jersey. Vervaeke already pursued that mission with Tom Dumoulin at Team Sunweb in 2018 and 2019, so he knows what it takes. The climber speaks with HLN about the differences between Dumoulin and Evenepoel.

"Tom is introverted, reasoned and diplomatic," Vervaeke begins his story. "Remco is expressive and a daredevil by nature. Tom also doubted himself a lot, while that is certainly not the case with Remco. He is very self-confident and is bolder in using his team more often. That also gives him extra motivation."

Vervaeke: "Remco races more aggressively"

Vervaeke also saw and still sees a different racing style in both men. "Tom had a lot of race insight. He often made the right decision at the right time, but he raced defensively. He wanted to limit the damage in the high mountains and then make up for it during the time trial. Remco races more aggressively and I love that. It's slightly more challenging. As a helper, you also feel that you're able to offer greater added value to an offensive team leader."

"Together with Ilan Van Wilder and Jan Hirt, I have to try to support Remco for as long as possible in the high mountains," Vervaeke clearly states when discussing his role. "In addition, I also try to provide tranquility in the group because I know that there is often a lot of stress in a grand tour and suddenly many scenarios can arise. Then it's important not to react impulsively because that can be disastrous. Keeping a good overview is crucial."

How did Vervaeke manage to become so calm? "That has grown over the years. In my youth, I often rode as the team leader myself, but by not having to ride for prizes with the pros, I can afford to look at things from a distance and to look at the race from a helicopter perspective. I have also learned a lot from Sean De Bie. Tactically speaking, he was one of the smartest riders I have ever met. Sean taught me that racing is more than just producing high wattages. Being in the right place at the right time - that can also get you far."

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