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A winter without any hitches, a new shirt on your skin and a clear goal in mind: to win the Tour de France. Remco Evenepoelafter the passage dalla Soudal Quick-Step alla Red Bull-Bora-hansgroheappears serene and determined more than ever. In an interview with Sporzathe double Olympic champion of Paris 2024 has charted the course for the 2026 season, the focus of which will be the return to the Grande Boucle for the third time in his career.
«What if I think I can win the Tour de France? Yes» declares the Belgian, triple time trial world champion, without hesitation. His confidence rests on a planned path: a winter of impeccable work and a spring of confirmations, starting from Return to Catalonia (23 March). «If I can demonstrate there that I am ready to win, like in 2023, then I think I can reach the level needed for the Tour. In this team, with all the support and scientific work, there is still room to improve».
On his way, however, there is a giant: Tadej Pogačarwinner of four of the last six Tours. The Slovenian himself recently expressed fear that Evenepoel could make a leap in quality with the new team. «Maybe it was a mind game…», evenepoel said. «However, I aim to be better than him. It’s very difficult, but it’s also the reason why I changed teams: to take those extra steps».
The working point is clear: «I need to get better at high intensity efforts. When Pogačar attacks, I manage to keep up with him for a while, but not long enough. There is room for growth there. I have found the desire to make a tremendous effort in training, which is essential for overcoming one’s limits».
At the Tour, the Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe strategy will focus on complementarity. Evenepoel will share the lead with the German Florian Lipowitzthird in 2025. «We are two different runners: I am more explosive, he has a more constant pace. Together we can work well. We will have to be complementary to achieve the goal: winning the Tour».
A note of regret concerns the Tour of Italyabsent from his program. The memory of the 2023 edition, when he was forced to retire while wearing the Maglia Rosa, is still vivid: «It’s the biggest ‘what if?’ of my career. I think I would have won it. At that point all I would have missed was the Tour for the Triple Crown. Instead… I still have to win two».
