Remco Evenepoel has revealed that he has endured a period of "frustrations and clashes" to end his season amid the incessant rumours surrounding his future and Jumbo-Visma's failed partial takeover of Soudal-QuickStep.
The Belgian celebrates a third 'Crystal Bike' award on Tuesday night, crowning him as the best male Belgian cyclist for the 2023 season in the Het Laatste Nieuws-run awards show.
Speaking to Sporza after receiving his award – his second in a row – Evenepoel lifted the lid on what has been a tumultuous month for him and his team.
"I thought I would prepare quietly for Il Lombardia for 3 weeks but that wasn't the case at all. It was certainly not optimal," Evenepoel said, referring to the merger rumours which hit the headlines in late September.
"Those rumours did not just come out of nowhere – there must have been some truth to them. But it was difficult for me to say anything about it because I knew nothing about it.
"There has always been a 'storm' around me and the team. That storm never subsided," he added, referring to reports he would leave Soudal-QuickStep that rumbled on throughout the Vuelta a España.
"That has meant that there have often been frustrations and some clashes during this period. The entire outside world should know this when it comes to next year."
Following the Spanish Grand Tour, Evenepoel was among the handful of Soudal-QuickStep riders reported to be likely to make the switch to Jumbo-Visma along with title sponsor Soudal in a move that would've seen the Dutch team strip prime assets from the Belgian squad.
However, the merger was called off last week, with Soudal-QuickStep set to continue through to the end of 2025 under the continued ownership of Patrick Lefevere and Zdenek Bakala.
"It was an unpleasant period," Evenepoel, who confirmed his future with the team after Il Lombardia at the weekend, said. "You ride with the Soudal-QuickStep jersey, but you don't know whether you'll still be wearing that jersey next year. But all's well that ends well."
Evenepoel recently said that his 2023 season can't be considered a "complete success" thanks to how his Grand Tour campaigns turned out. A bout of COVID-19 took him out of the Giro d'Italia while he led the race, while an off-day on the Col du Tourmalet saw him fall out of contention to defend his Vuelta a España title.
Despite that, in 2023 he still achieved more than the vast majority of the peloton could dream of achieving in a full career.
He won Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the World Championships time trial title, five stages across the Giro and Vuelta (including the mountains classification at the latter), the UAE Tour, Donostia San Sebastián Klasikoa, the Belgian road title, and three stages across the Volta a Catalunya and Tour de Suisse.
Evenepoel said, however, that he never had "100% preparation" for a race following his withdrawal from the Giro, adding that his 2024 season will be fully focussed on the Tour de France.
"[In 2024] everything is towards the month of July," he said. "A stage win would be great. Then I want to see how long I can follow the two kings of the Tour, [Jonas] Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and [Tadej] Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates). Then when we reach Nice" - the French coastal city that will host the Tour finale in 2024 - "we'll see where my 'ship' makes its landfall."
