After the Vuelta a España, one of the most sought-after individuals for interviews, apart from Sepp Kuss, of course, was Richard Plugge, the boss of Jumbo-Visma. He ended up discussing his team’s dominance but also another star of the professional circuit, Remco Evenepoel.
When asked by the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad if Plugge was surprised by Evenepoel’s loss of 27 minutes and if he had an explanation for it, Plugge stated: “I wasn’t surprised that he lost time, but I was surprised by the significant time loss. I’d love to talk to him about it and work with him. Then we’ll know the answer to that, but I won’t tell you now.”
When asked about Remco’s ability as a major contender in Grand Tours, Plugge responded:
“Anyway, he’s simply the best one-day cyclist there is. And we still don’t know how he’ll fare in a Grand Tour with strong opposition. Last year, he won the Vuelta. Very clever, nothing to complain about, but Roglic was absent. So he still has to prove himself against the ‘Vingegaards, the Pogacars, and the Roglics’ of this world.”
Richard Plugge continues, “He’s obviously one of the big stars in cycling. What he shows and how much he’s won at 23 is obviously unprecedented. And I hope he can continue to develop that. However, a three-week tour is something specific. That has been proven many times in the past,” concludes the Jumbo-Visma boss.