Remco Evenepoel Leaves Paris Reborn: I Was in Control of Myself During the Whole Tour

Second overall in the Tour de France, Remco Evenepoel has given a revealing insight into the greater self-composure he has now compared to two years ago.

In 2024 he rode his first Tour de France and was very emotional after taking third place overall. That contrasted with his calmer demeanor in this year’s Tour, including when he finished as GC runner-up in Paris on Sunday.

“Back then it was special because it was like the first time… it was my first Tour, then I went straight away into the podium in the white jersey,” Evenepoel explained on Sunday evening.

“That was something that I actually did not dare to dream of at that point. And now we came into the Tour with the mindset of getting a stage and trying to step on the podium. I just felt that I was in control of myself during the whole Tour.

“The team as well, we were in control of how we wanted things to go.”

Evenepoel is of course two years older now than he was when he first podiumed. Being 26 has brought maturity but so too have the tough times he has experienced along the way, including his DNF in last year’s Tour.

The lows have been difficult for him but they have taught him how to cope.

“I’ve already had so many setbacks in my career that I start to know how to deal with everything,” he explained.

Yet there is another reason too.

“I think also with that comes the support from home. I mean, it’s not because she [his wife Oumi] is sitting here, but it’s true that when I come home. we actually almost never speak about cycling. I do my trainings, but when the bike is in the garage, we are not living in a cycling world, even though everything is done for cycling.”

“I think that this button between on and off, that we are very good to manage that.”

It is, he says, something that in turn ensures he has the necessary composure when he really needs it.

“For example, now it was one month of Tour de France. I know that I have to be one month or even longer fully ‘on.’ Then I’m also mentally fresh to do that, and it doesn’t cost me any energy to keep that focus.”

‘I will always be calm’

Evenepoel is recognized as a very passionate individual. He has had near-meltdowns in races before; think of the Paris Olympics, when he had a puncture close to the finish while riding to a solo win.

He dismounted from his bike, let it fall to the ground and began roaring at the car behind for a new bike.

It was completely understandable, given the gravity of the situation, but it’s impossible to imagine a rider such as Jonas Vingegaard acting in the same overstated way.

Evenepoel has shown greater self-restraint of late, conserving emotional energy despite the high stakes environment of the Tour, even if there was one flareup against a Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe staff member after Saturday’s stage 20.

That was a blip, but in general he feels what he has been through in recent years has helped him tone things down.

“I’ve had many setbacks already, injuries, bad results, whatever that I just know for myself when everything goes well, I will always be calm and I will always have control of situations,” he said.

“I think that’s the biggest reason why I’m quite calm also with this [result], even though it’s a very big achievement in my career. I mean, I became second behind the guy that equals the record. So for me that’s a really, really big honor to be on that podium as well, and to live that moment.

“It’s something special that I will be able to hopefully one day tell my kids that I was second in the edition of the Tour where somebody equaled the record. I think it’s something that I will never forget from my life.

“So it’s even though I seem to be calm, I’m very happy and proud with everything that I did that my team did in the last month.”

The reason he backed off from Montmartre battle

Two years ago Evenepoel won that Paris Olympics road race over the Montmartre climb, with the spare bike he hollered for carrying him to a huge success.

Racing on Montmartre for the first time since then was always going to motivate him and, sure enough, he was in the thick of the action towards the end of stage 21.

Tadej Pogačar and eventual stage winner Mathieu van der Poel were clear going over the second of three ascents of the climb, with Evenepoel bridging to them soon afterwards. And while they and Mads Pedersen drove hard together in a bid to stay clear, they were eventually reeled in by those behind.

Evenepoel then made a deliberate decision to back off on the final lap. The reason for that might surprise.

“In the first lap, I just wanted to get into the rhythm again and see how the bunch would be,” he said, explaining the sequence. “Then the second lap we really wanted to go for it. I also got a perfect lead out from my team to go into Montmartre and then we went all out on the climb.

“I managed to come back on the top, or just over the top. And then in the third lap, I felt that there was a lot of sprinters and nervosity still in the small group.

“Then I started to think about next week because I still have a nice big race coming. I was not really willing to take big risks anymore for the positioning.

“I have to say it was very special to be upfront with Tadej and Mathieu in first place and then Mads joining.”

The race he was referring to is the Clasica San Sebastian, where he will aim for a fourth career win next Saturday.

Beyond that, he will chase success in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and Montreal races, and then the world championships.

Longer term, though, an even bigger goal remains. He has moved an important step closer with his performance this month.

Chasing a future Tour win

No Belgian rider has won the Tour de France since Lucien van Impe way back in 1976. That’s a full 50 years of waiting, something Evenepoel wants to bring to an end.

He fully admits Pogačar was far above the opposition in this Tour, himself included, but leaves Paris believing he has made strong progress and keeping that longer-term goal in mind.

What has made him believe he can indeed win the Tour one day?

“I think the fact that I was still on a very good level in the second week and then the third week,” he said.

“In terms of, climbing performance, I think stage 15 and then also yesterday [stage 20] was really good. Also the TT. The first part of the climb I did one of my best ever 15 minutes.

“So I think that shows that my level in the end of the Tour was really good. Also no signs of cracking, after a perfect preparation, actually.

“I showed to myself and also towards the team that I was on a very good level and a high level for three weeks long.

“And actually also still now I feel still pretty fresh, no real fatigue in the body. So I think that’s good and we will take that towards the future.”