A day after completing the Paris-Nice stage race Remco Evenepoel stayed in the region to prepare for the final stage of the Tour de France which also ends in Nice this year.

The 24-year-old has long been seen as a potential winner of the Tour de France but even if that does not come this year, the time trial world champion will at the very least hope to finish the race with a bang.

Remco Evenepoel's Tour de France Shift

Because of the Olympic Games in Paris, the Tour avoids the French capital for the first time in its 121-year history and ends instead on the Riviera with a spectacular time-trial along the winding Corniche between Monaco and Nice.

"We started in Monaco, and saw the first climb twice," explained Klaas Lodewyck, sports director of Evenepoel's Soudal Quick-Step outfit.

"Then we saw the descent several times, which was similar to the one of Sunday's Paris-Nice stage, but we were able to discover more today, in better weather," he said in reference to the driving rain that accompanied the last day of racing on Paris-Nice where Evenepoel came second.

"It is a nice time trial course, but very demanding, even more so as it comes on the last day of the Tour. It will be a beautiful race on a spectacular backdrop," he said.

"Many teams were also there looking at the course so we know that others will be well prepared and it will be a great race come July. It was a very useful day."

Tour de France 2024 Finale On The Riviera

The Tour de France has never finished outside Paris before and organisers wanted something special to replace it, and the Riviera town of Nice has been a popular choice in the cycling community.

"It's difficult to replace Paris, so what better scenery could we give than a dazzling Monaco to Nice time-trial," said Christian Prudhomme at the route unveiling in October.

The Tour starts from Florence in Italy on June 29 and features four high altitude finishes as it crosses the Alps twice and squeezes in two time trials, including the potentially dramatic final run from Monaco to Nice on July 21.

The last stage evokes memories of the 1989 Tour, when American Greg LeMond started a rare final-day time trial 50 seconds behind French leader Laurent Fignon and ended up winning the race by eight seconds.

Remco Evenepoel's Most Important Month Of July

Evenepoel says it will be the "most important month" of his life, featuring his debut at the Tour de France and aiming for gold at the Olympics. He acknowledges the challenges he'll face against top riders like Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, and Primoz Roglic.

He's preparing for a significant challenge, facing "the gods of Grand Tour racing" and is focused on achieving high ambitions at both the Tour and the Olympics. He also mentioned his dream of securing two medals in Paris, reflecting his high aspirations for the season.

Beyond his ambitions for the Tour and Olympics, Evenepoel is also setting his sights on winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège for a third time.