Cycling - UCI World Championships 2023 - Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - August 6, 2023 Belgium's Remco Evenepoel in action during the men's elite road race REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo
(Reuters) - Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel will make his debut at the Tour de France this year, his Soudal-Quick Step team said.
Evenepoel, who won the 2022 Vuelta a Espana, claimed the road time trial title at the World Championships last year.
The 23-year-old was also forced to abandon the Giro d'Italia while wearing the overall leader's jersey due to a positive COVID-19 test.
"All that happened in 2023 is in the past now and all my focus is on this year," Evenepoel said on Tuesday. "I will race a lot in France in the coming weeks and I'm hoping for some more good results and a nice debut in Le Tour."
Evenepoel will begin his campaign at the Figueira Champions Classic in Portugal in February.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Nashik, India; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
