Junior world champion Remco Evenepoel has confirmed that he will not line out in any cobbled Classics during his debut professional season with Deceuninck-QuickStep. Evenepoel claimed both the road and time trial world titles in Innsbruck in September at the end of a remarkable season that saw him dominate the junior peloton at international level. The Belgian youngster will bypass the under-23 ranks in 2019, moving directly from junior racing to WorldTour level with Deceuninck-QuickStep. Last month, the Belgian team revealed that the teenager would ride a light programme of 55 race days in 2019. At a gathering of his supporters´ club in Geraardsbergen at the weekend, Evenepoel confirmed that he will not tackle the Muur in competition in 2019.ADVERTISEMENT `No Tour of Flanders or Omloop Het Nieuwsblad for me,` Evenepoel said, according to Het Nieuwsblad. `I´m focusing on the Walloon Classics and short stage races. You cannot compare the professional Flemish Classics with those of the juniors. They are completely different. I won´t pass by here in a race.` Evenepoel only turned to cycling in 2017 after previously playing football in the youth structures of Anderlecht and PSV Eindhoven. The son of 1990s professional rider Patrick, Evenepoel compiled a stunning sequence of wins as a junior in 2018, including Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, the Giro della Lunigiana stage race, the Peace Race, the Belgian Championships and a double at the European Championships, where he won the road race by a margin of almost ten minutes. His performances have earned the admiration of Eddy Merckx, who told Het Laatste Nieuws: `What else could I teach him? Nothing. He can do it all.`
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