Britain’s James Knox is ready to help Remco Evenepoel fight for victory in Grand Tours in the years ahead as QuickStep pivot towards a more broadly focussed race strategy to help them back the young Belgian’s ambitions.
The Flemish-based WorldTour team have traditionally focused on the Classics, with overall victory in Grand Tours in general and the Tour de France in particular held to be out of reach.
However, Evenepoel’s talent and his success has changed all that and he is expected to target the Giro d’Italia in 2023 before turning his attention to the Tour de France.
“It’s a massive achievement for Remco, for the team and for Belgium. He’s only 22 but he delivered on the hype. So you have to say 'chapeau' to him for that. He’s delivering with his legs,” Knox told Cyclingnews and Velonews recently.
“I think everyone on the team knows what he’s capable of in terms of training and what he’s done in one-day races. But to actually do it in a Grand Tour, it’s not a surprise but there’s a bit of a shock and awe in the way Remco won the Vuelta.”
Knox has proven he is a talented climber and seems ideal support for Evenepoel in key mountain stages of Grand Tours and especially the 2023 Giro d’Italia. Italy’s Fausto Masnada is also likely to be part of a QuickStep team for the Corsa Rosa next May.
Knox joined QuickStep in 2018, and soon proved to be one of the team’s best climbers. He finished 11th overall at the 2019 Vuelta a España and then was 14th at the 2020 Giro d’Italia. He has already raced with Evenepoel and is ready for that vital role in 2023.
“I’ve done races with him the past couple of years, where I’ve supported him. I know that role quite well, and there will be opportunities in the future to be there for him in the Grand Tours to support him,” Knox explained.
“Thankfully we already had some strong guys, like Dries Devenyns and Pieter Serry, who can already do that job fantastically well. The team has added some support with Masnada, Louis Vervaeke and Ilan Van Wilder."
“We do have some climbing guys now, and it will be a bigger attraction for guys to join the team, especially with Remco delivering now. Some guys will want to get on the gravy train, so to speak. With Remco challenging for more and more Grand Tours in the next five years or so, I can imagine that Patrick Lefevere will try to strengthen the team in that regard.”
With Ineos Grenadiers keen to try to tempt Evenepoel away from QuickStep, Lefevere knows that he will have to bolster his squad even more. He told Cyclingnews that Evenepoel’s contract with the team is confirmed and watertight until 2026 but the pressure from rivals teams to try and entice Evenepoel away means he cannot waste time when it comes to building a Grand Tour team.
27-year-old Knox has a contract for 2023 when the team will become Soudal-QuickStep thanks to further sponsorship. The Cumbrian climber had a testing 2022 season but is hoping to be back to his best next season.
“I had a bit of a problem at the start of the year, and I never got going well enough. I was at the Giro, but I just didn’t have the legs. I felt better in the second half of the season,” Knox said.
“The more experienced guys will tell you that sometimes it’s your year, sometimes it’s not. With the level getting so much higher, there’s not much margin for error. That seems to be the crux of it."
“The big stars like Remco can deliver when they are not at 100 percent, but a guy like myself, you really have to be 100 percent to be up there in the races. I hope to do that in 2023.”
