Evenepoel Bullish His Wild Tour de France Gamble Will Pay Off

A year is a long, long time in pro cycling. Twelve months ago Remco Evenepoel was a shell of the rider who had finished third overall in the 2024 Tour de France. He had impressed in his Tour debut and worked towards the 2025 edition with heightened ambition, but instead things went horribly wrong.

True, he won the stage five time trial. And true, he was sitting second overall for several days as a result. But once the race hit the high mountains his legs detonated, with a disappointing 12th on the uphill time trial to Peyragudes being followed by worse the following day.

Evenepoel withdrew on the stage to Superbagnères, looking drained and demoralized. Some linked his slump to a bid to drop kilos and, whether or not that was the case, he believes things are far better this year.

“The training sessions went smoothly,” he told Belgian media on Friday, including Sporza. “I can start with confidence that the power is in balance with the weight.

“We have approached weight loss in a smart way. My weight has dropped, but the power has remained.”

That’s something his fans will be delighted to hear, as well as his Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team.

And so too the whole of Belgium.

Evenepoel has long been regarded as that country’s best Tour de France hope. The nation has been waiting a staggering fifty years to win the race again. This summer will show if that is in any way a realistic prospect.

‘I came worn out to the start’

Last winter Evenepoel moved to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, having wanted a reset after the most disappointing season of his career.

He had high ambitions for 2025 but was doored by a postal service van in December 2024, suffering injuries which kept him out of competition until April.

He worked hard and picked up four wins prior to the start of the Tour but his lack of a big training base and rushed preparation saw him already under pressure by the time he reached the Grand Départ.

Riders can make do in shorter events. But in a three week race against the very best in the world, any frailty gets exposed.

“I came worn out to the start of the Tour,” he admitted Friday. “Now it will be in a good balance.”

This time around Evenepoel has taken a very different approach than the riders who will be his big rivals. Tadej Pogačar won all before him this year, most recently dominating the Tour de Suisse, while Jonas Vingegaard was similarly far ahead at the Giro d’Italia.

Paul Seixas has also been racing, although he had to withdraw from the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes with injury.

As for Evenepoel, he hasn’t raced since April 26th, spending two whole months out of competition.

That was a deliberate decision taken by himself and his team, fueled by the belief that it was the best way for him to ensure he was at a peak for the Tour.

Is it a gamble? He doesn’t believe it is.

“I can also get ready for training,” he said. “I don’t necessarily need races to be ready.”

By way of proof, he refers to how he was twelve months ago.

“I could hardly finish any blocks in my last altitude training camp,” he said.

“Now I have been able to do everything, even in the extreme heat.

“I am very satisfied with the evolution I have gone through. I am at the start with a completely different feeling.”

‘Every leader for themselves’

This year’s Tour begins next Saturday in Barcelona. There is an opening time trial there, with squads working hard to springboard their leaders to the best possible time.

They will ride all out over the 19.4km distance with the protected riders then going all out on the uphill rise to the line.

For Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, there is a slight complication. Many teams have one designated leader; the German team has two.

Both Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz have finished third overall in the race.

Evenepoel doesn’t reveal precise tactics for that stage but implies that the strongest will be able to take their opportunity.

“It’s a chance to win the stage with the team,” he said. “|The last kilometer goes up quite a bit, so we’ll ride up as fast as possible.

“In the last kilometer, it’s every team leader for themselves in the Tour.”

If his building has gone as well as he expects, he may be able to lay claim to early leadership and maybe even what would his first-ever Maillot Jaune in the race.

“You focus on the work of your own team,” he said, declining to speculate too much.

“For the GC, that time trial won’t change much, you have to take it as a chance for a stage win with of course the yellow at the end of the day.

“Yellow is of course a dream. But everyone will have worked towards it.”

That includes the teammates and staff who were part of an unusual, unprecedented build-up to this year’s Tour.

 

 

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