{"id":2012577,"date":"2026-06-25T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2012577"},"modified":"2026-06-25T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T10:00:00","slug":"only-winning-is-good-enough-remco-evenepoel-faces-unreasonably-high-belgian-expectations-at-tour-de-france-writes-thomas-de-gendt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2012577","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Only winning is good enough&#8217; \u2013 Remco Evenepoel faces unreasonably high Belgian expectations at Tour de France, writes Thomas De Gendt"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-2000-80.png&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"m-0 box-border flex flex-row items-center pr-2.5 gap-[15px] w-[278px] h-20 flex-none upnext-article-divider\" role=\"listitem\" aria-label=\"Recommended article 1 of 3\">\n<div class=\"relative flex-none w-20 h-20\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JeP6T3g5zGFCHYHJHHaW74-160-80.jpg.webp 160w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JeP6T3g5zGFCHYHJHHaW74-80-80.jpg.webp 80w\" sizes=\"80px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex items-center justify-center absolute w-4 h-6 left-0 top-0 bg-white\/90 flex-none z-[1]\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"font-normal text-base leading-[17px] tracking-[1.3px] uppercase text-black flex-none\">1<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex flex-col items-center justify-center gap-1.5 w-[173px] h-20 flex-none\">\n<p class=\"font-article-heading font-medium text-base leading-[21px] text-gray-800 w-[173px] line-clamp-3 group-hover:underline\">\n                                    &#8216;I\u2019d say I\u2019m stronger&#8217; \u2013 Tadej Poga\u010dar reveals test results after completing Tour de France tune-up with Tour de Suisse domination\n                                <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"m-0 box-border flex flex-row items-center pr-2.5 gap-[15px] w-[278px] h-20 flex-none upnext-article-divider\" role=\"listitem\" aria-label=\"Recommended article 2 of 3\">\n<div class=\"relative flex-none w-20 h-20\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-160-80.png.webp 160w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-80-80.png.webp 80w\" sizes=\"80px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex items-center justify-center absolute w-[18px] h-6 left-0 top-0 bg-white\/90 flex-none z-[1]\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"font-normal text-base leading-[17px] tracking-[1.3px] uppercase text-black flex-none\">2<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex flex-col items-center justify-center gap-1.5 w-[173px] h-20 flex-none\">\n<p class=\"font-article-heading font-medium text-base leading-[21px] text-gray-800 w-[173px] line-clamp-3 group-hover:underline\">\n                                    Who will win the Tour de France 2026? Our definitive ranking of the favourites for the yellow jersey\n                                <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"m-0 box-border flex flex-row items-center pr-2.5 gap-[15px] w-[278px] h-20 flex-none\" role=\"listitem\" aria-label=\"Recommended article 3 of 3\">\n<div class=\"relative flex-none w-20 h-20\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-160-80.png.webp 160w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-80-80.png.webp 80w\" sizes=\"80px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex items-center justify-center absolute w-[18px] h-6 left-0 top-0 bg-white\/90 flex-none z-[1]\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"font-normal text-base leading-[17px] tracking-[1.3px] uppercase text-black flex-none\">3<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex flex-col items-center justify-center gap-1.5 w-[173px] h-20 flex-none\">\n<p class=\"font-article-heading font-medium text-base leading-[21px] text-gray-800 w-[173px] line-clamp-3 group-hover:underline\">\n                                    Jonas Vingegaard will try, but in reality, no one is likely to upset the Tadej Poga\u010dar show at the Tour de France \u2013 Philippa York analysis\n                                <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"page-content-onecol flex-1\nnews-article article\n\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"widget-area-group widget-area-group-2col flex flex-wrap box-border\">\n<div id=\"widgetArea16\" class=\"widget-area basis-full md:basis-2\/3 widget-area-g-md-vp-2-3 widget-area-g-lg-vp-2-3 widget-area-g-xl-vp-2-3 page-widget-area-16\">\n<div data-widget-type=\"hero\" id=\"hero\" class=\"clear-both widget widget-hero widget-hero widget-hero-hero widget-hero widget-hero-fter-news\">\n<div class=\"news-article\">\n<header data-component-name=\"Article:Hero\">\n<nav class=\"breadcrumb\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\">\n<ol>\n<li>\nPro Cycling\n<\/li>\n<li>\nTeams &amp; Riders\n<\/li>\n<li>\nRed Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<h1>&#8216;Only winning is good enough&#8217; \u2013 Remco Evenepoel faces unreasonably high Belgian expectations at Tour de France, writes Thomas De Gendt<\/h1>\n<div class=\"byline-social\">\n<div class=\"byline font-ui-heading text-[12px]\">\nFeatures<\/p>\n<div><span><br \/>\nBy<br \/>\nThomas De Gendt <\/span><span><br \/>\npublished<br \/>\n<time data-component-name=\"UI:DateTime\" datetime=\"2026-06-25T13:00:00Z\" class=\"relative-date\"><br \/>\n25 June 2026<br \/>\n<\/time><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Former Tour de France stage winner feels that against Poga\u010dar and Vingegaard, barring major surprises Evenepoel has likely reached an upper limit in July<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"text-gray-700 mx-auto mb-4 flex items-center justify-start mx-0 my-5 p-0\" id=\"affiliate-disclaimer\" data-component-name=\"AffiliateDisclaimer\" data-hawk-message=\"Affiliate disclaimer removed because hawk deemed there are no affiliate links on this page\">\n<p class=\"text-[var(--affiliate-disclaimer--text-color,inherit))] mb-2 text-[length:var(--affiliate-disclaimer--font-size,0.75rem)] leading-[18px] md:text-[13px] [&amp;&gt;a]:text-inherit [&amp;&gt;a]:underline\">\nWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here\u2019s how it works.\n<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-widget-type=\"contentparsed\" id=\"content\" class=\"clear-both widget widget-contentparsed widget-content widget-contentparsed-content widget-content-parsed widget-content-parsed-content_document \">\n<div class=\"wcp-item-content\">\n<section class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"box less-space hero-image-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"mb-0\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-2000-80.png.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-1920-80.png.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-1600-80.png.webp 1600w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-1440-80.png.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-1280-80.png.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-1200-80.png.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-1024-80.png.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-970-80.png.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-750-80.png.webp 750w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-480-80.png.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"font-article-copy text-(--image--text--color) font-article-copy mt-2\"><span class=\"caption-text font-article-copy\">Thomas De Gendt shares his take on the expectations facing compatriot Remco Evenepoel<\/span><span class=\"credit font-article-copy\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"article-body\" class=\"text-copy bodyCopy auto paywall-locker\">\n<div data-analytics-id=\"utility-bar\" id=\"utility-bar\" class=\"font-ui-heading flex justify-between items-center py-2 border-t border-b border-gray-300 border-solid mb-5 mx-auto\" data-component-name=\"UtilityBar\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"utility-bar\">\n<div class=\"flex gap-2 text-[#333] subcontainer\">\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<div data-component-name=\"Social:Dropdown\" role=\"menu\" id=\"utilitybar__dropdown--share\" aria-labelledby=\"utilitybar__button--share\" class=\"absolute left-0 top-full w-44 bg-white rounded-md shadow-md border border-neutral-200 z-[9996] list-none m-0 py-2 px-3 border-solid\">\n<ul class=\"m-0!\">\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Facebook<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>X<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Pinterest<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Email<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-share-this-article\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nShare this article\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\"><span class=\"ml-1 inline-flex h-5 px-2 shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center overflow-hidden whitespace-nowrap rounded-[10px] bg-primary-500 text-[11px] leading-none font-ui-heading font-semibold text-white\">7<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-join-the-conversation\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nJoin the conversation\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex gap-2 text-[#333] subcontainer\">\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<p>Follow us<\/p>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-add-us-as-a-preferred-source-on-google\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nAdd us as a preferred source on Google\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-subscribe-to-our-newsletter\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nSubscribe to our newsletter\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"elk-9fca65fb-81a0-4880-aebc-bd6cfbbfd11b\">Whatever Remco Evenepoel does or does not achieve in the Tour de France this July, it&#8217;s worth remembering that he has already had a good Classics season.<\/p>\n<p>Third in the Tour of Flanders in his debut there was a success, so it&#8217;s not like his year will be a bad one if, say, he now only wins one stage in the Tour. I think with Tadej Poga\u010dar and Jonas Vingegaard there, if Remco can get third and wins the time trial that&#8217;d be a good race for him, whilst for it to be a great Tour, he&#8217;d have to get a mountain stage win against Poga\u010dar or wear the yellow jersey.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-9fca65fb-81a0-4880-aebc-bd6cfbbfd11b-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">But can he achieve even more than that? In many ways, that&#8217;s Remco&#8217;s problem right now in Belgium. Because even if he did get third, then a lot of people will say he didn&#8217;t perform well. While somebody else gets just one top 10 in a stage and they&#8217;d say, &#8216;Ah, that was a really good Tour de France&#8217;, in Remco&#8217;s case, even being on the podium of a Grand Tour \u2013 which for me is as good as it can get right now, barring major surprises \u2013 that just wouldn&#8217;t be good enough.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-6 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-[10px] lg:my-8\" data-component-name=\"JwPlayer:Carousel\" data-jwp-carousel data-jwp-carousel-payload=\"{&quot;ids&quot;:{&quot;playerID&quot;:&quot;jYDCcabO&quot;,&quot;searchPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;divID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;fallbackPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;fallbackDivID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;key&quot;:&quot;X9\/mXVGac0NphghLH9hZaqWA5d3dhAM\/Ih07grnEyMLjuO2E&quot;,&quot;tintLogo&quot;:true,&quot;useSearchPlaylist&quot;:false,&quot;enabled&quot;:true},&quot;signPostingEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;signPostingLinkEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;waitForAdLoad&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnDesktop&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnMobile&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnTablet&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-nowrap items-center justify-between gap-3 bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-header>\n<div class=\"flex min-w-0 shrink items-center\"><span class=\"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-article-heading capitalize leading-5 text-white whitespace-nowrap\"><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-desktop\">Latest Videos From<\/span><span class=\"jwp-carousel-brand inline-flex items-center\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] block h-[18px] w-auto shrink-0 brightness-0 invert\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aspect-video w-full min-h-[200px] lg:min-h-[330px] relative overflow-hidden bg-black\" data-jwp-carousel-container>\n<div class=\"absolute inset-0 size-full items-center justify-center bg-white\" data-jwp-carousel-fallback><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] max-h-12 w-auto\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"min-h-[44px] bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-signposting><a class=\"invisible block truncate text-sm font-bold leading-5 text-white underline decoration-solid underline-offset-2\" data-jwp-carousel-signposting-link href target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-jwp-carousel-signposting-title>Watch full video here: <\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Within those double standards, if his time trialling is taken for granted, the high mountains are going to be where Remco&#8217;s Tour is really judged. But again, the standards he is judged by are wrong. That&#8217;s because if you put him in a race where there is no Poga\u010dar and no Vingegaard, then he&#8217;s one of the best on the climbs because he can choose his own tempo on them. But his problem is that when Poga\u010dar attacks, he can put Remco in the red zone and after a few minutes, he explodes. He loses 30 or 40 seconds in those two minutes, after which he gets to his own tempo again and he doesn&#8217;t get dropped that badly. He&#8217;s a time triallist and once he gets to his own pace, he&#8217;s really capable. But by that point he&#8217;s lost that minute on the climb, so it&#8217;s difficult.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">He&#8217;s far from being alone in having this problem when Poga\u010dar attacks and unfortunately Remco&#8217;s upper limit isn&#8217;t quite good enough to follow Poga\u010dar. But maybe now with the new training approach Remco has, it could be he&#8217;s been training like a maniac to get his VO2 Max up and he&#8217;ll get that extra percentage point \u2013 and it really is just 1% difference. But remember that if on paper it looks easy, in practice is another thing.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\"><span class=\"\n            flex\n            after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]\n            before:content-[&apos;&apos;] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]\n            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold\n        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"flex flex-col gap-0 m-0 max-w-full\">\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-1\" id=\"recirculation-inline-1\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-inline-1\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-inline-1\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-250-80.png.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-150-80.png.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">Jonas Vingegaard will try, but in reality, no one is likely to upset the Tadej Poga\u010dar show at the Tour de France \u2013 Philippa York analysis<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-2\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-inline-2\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-inline-2\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-250-80.png.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-150-80.png.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">Who will win the Tour de France 2026? Our definitive ranking of the favourites for the yellow jersey<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ccc] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-3\" id=\"recirculation-inline-3\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-inline-3\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-inline-3\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F9aNQKLW9rmhuXWVgxXCsH-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F9aNQKLW9rmhuXWVgxXCsH-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">Altitude top-ups, recons, and down time \u2013 What are the yellow jersey hopefuls up to ahead of the Tour de France?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure full-width-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-5bbecbae-2562-4fca-9b14-39e21c23c1b9\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-1024-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-1024-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-1024-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-1024-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" full-width-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Remco Evenepoel in action earlier this year <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2d87be7d-dd4f-4230-929a-511a61bb2123\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Talking of numbers, I&#8217;ve seen all this stuff about his FTP value of 425 and actually I think it&#8217;s a number that&#8217;s lower than what he is actually pushing \u2013 it&#8217;s just a training number. For example, my own FTP on paper was always 430 or 435 with a weight of 69kg. But in the races, it could actually rise to something like 460 for 20 minutes. So what your FTP is in the race and on paper are two very different things.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">As for the <em>why<\/em> he published that number, he may explain that at some point before the Tour so it&#8217;ll become clear, but right now that&#8217;s hard to understand. After all, the two guys that are ahead of him in the Tour will likely always stay in front of him \u2013 and that&#8217;s Vingegaard and Poga\u010dar. But I suppose that at least for a lot of the guys that are training at home, they now know what numbers they have to push to be at the top level&#8230;<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-rY4oNWiss8uJN5EbxxfsKL\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-rY4oNWiss8uJN5EbxxfsKL slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__header\">Get The Leadout Newsletter<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<footer class=\"newsletter-form__footer \">By submitting your information you agree to the Terms &amp; Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.<\/footer>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">As for other rivals apart from Vingegaard and Poga\u010dar, I&#8217;m not expecting as much from Paul Seixas as some people are this July. He can always surprise me, and his numbers for a 19-year-old are incredible, and he will for sure be a Tour de France winner one day. But this is his first Grand Tour and while I think he&#8217;ll be there in the mix at the top level for the first two weeks, the third week is always something of a question mark for a lot of riders, and that includes Seixas.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It&#8217;s even true for riders who have finished on the podium of a Grand Tour. You can get sick in the build-up, say, and that can sometimes only emerge as a problem in the third week because you&#8217;re missing 1% or 2% in your endurance and in the last part of a Grand Tour, you pay a really high price for those tiny gaps. So Seixas has to learn how his body will react after two weeks and what happens in the third when Poga\u010dar and Vingegaard unleash their demons, and as a result, I think it&#8217;ll be difficult for him to be on the final podium.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"evenepoel-and-lipowitz-3\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Evenepoel and Lipowitz<\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-8fcec417-e789-4f5d-82d5-fffd04f01583\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">How Evenepoel works with Florian Lipowitz is another story. Lipowitz is a teammate but he could be a bit of a problem, because imagine Lipowitz attacks a bit early on a climb and Remco is not allowed to chase, then he&#8217;s a bit blocked behind because of team tactics. You&#8217;re just stuck on the wheels in a group.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\"><span class=\"\n            flex\n            after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]\n            before:content-[&apos;&apos;] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]\n            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold\n        \"><br \/>\n            What to read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"flex flex-col gap-0 m-0 max-w-full\">\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-1\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2-1\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-2-inline-1\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-2-inline-1\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Ty569jeaw6C8tRZavL46kT-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Ty569jeaw6C8tRZavL46kT-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">No Poga\u010dar or Vingegaard but Paul Seixas faces test of Tour de France credentials against Del Toro, Ayuso and more \u2013 Analysing the contenders at Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-2\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2-2\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-2-inline-2\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-2-inline-2\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VYet7yHEpUKFs76MRt82oZ-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VYet7yHEpUKFs76MRt82oZ-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">Tour de France 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ccc] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-3\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2-3\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-2-inline-3\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-2-inline-3\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">By winning the Giro d&#8217;Italia, Jonas Vingegaard has had his strongest Tour de France preparation yet \u2013 but we still have no idea how he&#8217;ll compare with Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure full-width-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-89071301-1009-43ce-b9b1-30245f768692\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-1024-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-1024-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-1024-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-1024-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" full-width-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Remco Evenepoel leads Florian Lipowitz on a mountain stage in Catalunya <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-e6c925f0-f4b2-4e6f-b585-959c23b47f02\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">For sure they will have some discussions before the Tour, but they will have to reach some solid agreements. Because at some point you have to make a decision, one of them may have to sacrifice his options for the other. It&#8217;s a team sport, and you can&#8217;t just race for a top five placing in the Tour. Because then if you end up in fourth and fifth, say, and nobody&#8217;s on the podium, then it will look a bit stupid.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">What will also define Remco&#8217;s Tour is how he comes out of such a long time before it without any racing, training for over two months purely for the Tour. I can only speak for myself but if I didn&#8217;t do any racing for a month, then the first few days of competition were always horrible, because your legs miss the speed. I just hope for him that&#8217;s not the case, because for me not racing so long would be a really bad decision. On top of that, the first day of the Tour is a team time trial and it&#8217;s not like Remco can sit back, he&#8217;s the TT powerhouse for his squad. I&#8217;ve already seen that when there are TTTs, if the other guys do 20-second turns, Remco&#8217;s doing 40 to one minute. So the results of the TTT will be almost completely on his shoulders.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">On the other hand, I know Remco a little bit, and I also know that when he&#8217;s in a race, he&#8217;s there to win and not just follow wheels. You could see that at the beginning of the year, when he was at preparation races and he kept on having to win: he&#8217;s a difficult rider to contain. It doesn&#8217;t matter if you say &#8216;Please, just go to the Tour de Suisse and we&#8217;ll do it as preparation, just going for it on two stages&#8217;. If he can attack 60 kilometres from the line, then he will.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure full-width-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-5709e7a1-cfeb-4bf7-810b-62e654560b98\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-1024-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-1024-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-1024-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-1024-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" full-width-layout\"><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-322e356c-a0ce-4081-ae04-dded61a1b0eb\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Not only that, all of the parameters in training are controllable, you have a reduced risk of crashing, a lower risk of getting sick. But truth to tell, we&#8217;ll only really know by the end of July, not the beginning, if this training strategy was a good or bad decision.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">In fact, Remco&#8217;s problem is a different one \u2013 it&#8217;s that for some people, only winning is good enough at this point and that&#8217;s a bit of a shame. Particularly because while Remco went to Red Bull to win races, I think winning the Tour will be really difficult. It&#8217;s not impossible, but realistically, I think he only has a small chance.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It&#8217;s not that some people back home have less sympathy for Remco because he left QuickStep, rather that there&#8217;s something about him and his results that they always look at differently. He won six of seven races in the first two months of the year, and then just because he was dropped on one climb in the UAE Tour, their theory is that he&#8217;s not performing well. So he can achieve whatever he can, but the moment he doesn&#8217;t perform, even if he crashes and has bad legs as a result, they&#8217;ll always say that&#8217;s no excuse. Or even after finishing third in Flanders, expectations were higher for Li\u00e8ge and the Ardennes races, and when he didn&#8217;t perform so well, they burned him down again.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So that&#8217;s Remco&#8217;s story: he&#8217;s in a position where even if he does win, he&#8217;s still doing something wrong in the eyes of a lot of people \u2013 and a lot of journalists as well. And unfortunately it seems like nothing can change that, not even (maybe) finishing third in the Tour de France this July.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-7ef07d25-8fe8-4f16-b530-6de7f5f17725\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><em><strong>The world\u2019s biggest bike race deserves world-class coverage. Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona through to Paris, our experienced team will bring you breaking news, expert insight, and in-depth coverage from every stage as the battle for the yellow jersey plays out. Plus, access the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! <\/strong><\/em><u><em><strong>Find out more.<\/strong><\/em><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block mb-5\" id=\"articleTag\" data-component-name=\"PostArticleLinks\" data-nosnippet data-mrf-recirculation=\"post-article-links\">\n<div class=\"border-b border-b-black border-solid py-2.5 text-black font-bold uppercase\">TOPICS<\/div>\n<nav class=\"py-2.5 flex gap-2.5 flex-wrap\" data-analytics-id=\"article-tag\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-tag\">\n<p>Road<\/p>\n<p>Remco Evenepoel<\/p>\n<p>Florian Lipowitz<\/p>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"slice-container-authorBio-rY4oNWiss8uJN5EbxxfsKL\" class=\"slice-container slice-author-bio authorBio-rY4oNWiss8uJN5EbxxfsKL slice-container-authorBio\">\n<div class=\"author author__default-layout author--separator\">\n<div class=\"author__header\">\n<div class=\"author__heading\">\n<div class=\"author__name\">Thomas De Gendt<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"relative max-w-[1070px] viafoura-twig-component mt-6 mx-4 lg:mx-0\" data-component-name=\"Viafoura:Comments\" data-nosnippet data-community-guidelines-text=\"&lt;p class=&apos;vfcustom-community-guidelines&apos;&gt;Please follow our &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/about\/#section-community-guidelines&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;community guidelines&lt;\/a&gt;.&lt;\/p&gt;\" data-join-the-conversation-text=\"Join the Conversation\">\n<div class=\"absolute top-0 left-0 w-full h-full flex items-center justify-center z-50 bg-white\/90 border-1 rounded-b-[var(--comment-widget-border-radius,0)]\">\n<div class=\"p-2 text-center\">\n<p class=\"mb-3 text-lg!\">You must confirm your public display name before commenting<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3 text-sm!\">Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"mx-2 my-5 sm:mx-0\">\n<aside class=\"w-full\" data-nosnippet data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-stacked\">\n<div data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-adviser:hybrid\">\n<div class=\"text-white py-4 px-3 mb-4 bg-[#333] uppercase font-bold custom-header-styles\">Read more<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-1 gap-4 mt-4 mb-5\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Racing<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Jonas Vingegaard will try, but in reality, no one is likely to upset the Tadej Poga\u010dar show at the Tour de France \u2013 Philippa York analysis<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Who will win the Tour de France 2026? Our definitive ranking of the favourites for the yellow jersey<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F9aNQKLW9rmhuXWVgxXCsH-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F9aNQKLW9rmhuXWVgxXCsH-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F9aNQKLW9rmhuXWVgxXCsH-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F9aNQKLW9rmhuXWVgxXCsH-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F9aNQKLW9rmhuXWVgxXCsH-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Altitude top-ups, recons, and down time \u2013 What are the yellow jersey hopefuls up to ahead of the Tour de France?<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Ty569jeaw6C8tRZavL46kT-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Ty569jeaw6C8tRZavL46kT-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Ty569jeaw6C8tRZavL46kT-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Ty569jeaw6C8tRZavL46kT-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Ty569jeaw6C8tRZavL46kT-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Racing<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">No Poga\u010dar or Vingegaard but Paul Seixas faces test of Tour de France credentials against Del Toro, Ayuso and more \u2013 Analysing the contenders at Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VYet7yHEpUKFs76MRt82oZ-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VYet7yHEpUKFs76MRt82oZ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VYet7yHEpUKFs76MRt82oZ-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VYet7yHEpUKFs76MRt82oZ-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VYet7yHEpUKFs76MRt82oZ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Racing<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Tour de France 2026<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">By winning the Giro d&#8217;Italia, Jonas Vingegaard has had his strongest Tour de France preparation yet \u2013 but we still have no idea how he&#8217;ll compare with Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside class=\"w-full\" data-nosnippet data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-stacked\">\n<div data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-solr:latest-category\">\n<div class=\"text-white py-4 px-3 mb-4 bg-[#333] uppercase font-bold custom-header-styles\">Latest in Teams &amp; Riders<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-1 gap-4 mt-4 mb-5\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;Tadej keeps on surprising us&#8217; \u2013 The inside view on how UAE Team Emirates-XRG have constructed Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s assault on a fifth Tour de France<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/emy9d3Pz2Bn5opRnPDhAhY-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/emy9d3Pz2Bn5opRnPDhAhY-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/emy9d3Pz2Bn5opRnPDhAhY-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/emy9d3Pz2Bn5opRnPDhAhY-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/emy9d3Pz2Bn5opRnPDhAhY-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe announce full Tour de France team and &#8216;dual leadership approach&#8217; around Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5hyiDva6XRbQL2pi4MTQUd-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5hyiDva6XRbQL2pi4MTQUd-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5hyiDva6XRbQL2pi4MTQUd-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5hyiDva6XRbQL2pi4MTQUd-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5hyiDva6XRbQL2pi4MTQUd-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Jayco AlUla hedge Tour de France stage hunting bets with options from Ben O&#8217;Connor to Michael Matthews and Pascal Ackermann<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bXQT53HpJF6jJKzoLSaAXU-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bXQT53HpJF6jJKzoLSaAXU-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bXQT53HpJF6jJKzoLSaAXU-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bXQT53HpJF6jJKzoLSaAXU-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bXQT53HpJF6jJKzoLSaAXU-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Another Tour de France rider at risk? Visma-Lease a Bike say Edoardo Affini &#8216;will be monitored&#8217; after high-speed crash at Italian Road Championships<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Tour de France team-by-team guide \u2013 Line-up, leaders and ambitions for every squad on the start list<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NQu72imttAwpz7zZTTFxcN-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NQu72imttAwpz7zZTTFxcN-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NQu72imttAwpz7zZTTFxcN-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NQu72imttAwpz7zZTTFxcN-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NQu72imttAwpz7zZTTFxcN-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;Full of confidence and with a real sense of anticipation&#8217; \u2013 Can Biniam Girmay recapture his 2024 Tour de France form with this NSN lead-out?<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside class=\"w-full\" data-nosnippet data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-stacked\">\n<div data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-solr:latest-articletype\">\n<div class=\"text-white py-4 px-3 mb-4 bg-[#333] uppercase font-bold custom-header-styles\">Latest in Features<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-1 gap-4 mt-4 mb-5\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;Tadej keeps on surprising us&#8217; \u2013 The inside view on how UAE Team Emirates-XRG have constructed Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s assault on a fifth Tour de France<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gfAaSpgaBD5eiD77JQmbFF-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gfAaSpgaBD5eiD77JQmbFF-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gfAaSpgaBD5eiD77JQmbFF-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gfAaSpgaBD5eiD77JQmbFF-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gfAaSpgaBD5eiD77JQmbFF-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Safety<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">The High Temperature Protocol, switching dates, racing in the morning \u2013 What could the future of the Tour de France look like as summer temperatures continue to rise?<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Tour de France team-by-team guide \u2013 Line-up, leaders and ambitions for every squad on the start list<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/eJrCHdKTBj9hHGTR8wCCMa-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/eJrCHdKTBj9hHGTR8wCCMa-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/eJrCHdKTBj9hHGTR8wCCMa-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/eJrCHdKTBj9hHGTR8wCCMa-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/eJrCHdKTBj9hHGTR8wCCMa-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Women&#8217;s Cycling<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;It&#8217;s crazy how much can change in a year&#8217; \u2013 Lauren Dickson&#8217;s remarkable rise from cycling newbie to smashing Grand Tours with Demi Vollering<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Racing<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Jonas Vingegaard will try, but in reality, no one is likely to upset the Tadej Poga\u010dar show at the Tour de France \u2013 Philippa York analysis<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/w2yKVk6YqjVoyao7mRTdRT-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/w2yKVk6YqjVoyao7mRTdRT-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/w2yKVk6YqjVoyao7mRTdRT-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/w2yKVk6YqjVoyao7mRTdRT-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/w2yKVk6YqjVoyao7mRTdRT-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Cycling Kit &amp; Accessories<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">New Prologo MIG AIR CPC and MIG CPC gloves ensure aerodynamics, fit and comfort<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"widgetArea17\" class=\"widget-area md:basis-1\/3 widget-area-g-md-vp-1-3 widget-area-g-lg-vp-1-3 widget-area-g-xl-vp-1-3 page-widget-area-17\">\n<div data-widget-type=\"dynamic\" id=\"popular-data\" class=\"clear-both widget widget-dynamic widget-popular-data widget-dynamic-popular-data widget-dynamic-fter-popular-box\">\n<div class=\"wdn-fte-pb pos-relative space-t20\n\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-popularBox\" class=\"slice-container popular-box-slice popularBox slice-container-popularBox\">\n<section data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"popular-box\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__label\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__label__tab popular-box__label__tab--active\" role=\"heading\">LATEST ARTICLES<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ol class=\"popular-box__articles-list popular-box__articles-list--active\">\n<li class=\"popular-box__article-list\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__container\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__image-wrapper\">\n<div><source class=\"popular-box__article-list__image image__image\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-320-80.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-640-80.jpg.webp 640w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-720-80.jpg.webp 720w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w\" sizes=\"99vw\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR.jpg\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR.jpg\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-slice-image=\"true\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__content\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__number-text\">1<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__heading\">&#8216;Tadej keeps on surprising us&#8217; 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Riders\n<\/li>\n<li>\nRed Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<h1>&#8216;Only winning is good enough&#8217; \u2013 Remco Evenepoel faces unreasonably high Belgian expectations at Tour de France, writes Thomas De Gendt<\/h1>\n<div class=\"byline-social\">\n<div class=\"byline font-ui-heading text-[12px]\">\nFeatures<\/p>\n<div><span><br \/>\nBy<br \/>\nThomas De Gendt <\/span><span><br \/>\npublished<br \/>\n<time data-component-name=\"UI:DateTime\" datetime=\"2026-06-25T13:00:00Z\" class=\"relative-date\"><br \/>\n25 June 2026<br \/>\n<\/time><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Former Tour de France stage winner feels that against Poga\u010dar and Vingegaard, barring major surprises Evenepoel has likely reached an upper limit in July<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"text-gray-700 mx-auto mb-4 flex items-center justify-start mx-0 my-5 p-0\" id=\"affiliate-disclaimer\" data-component-name=\"AffiliateDisclaimer\" data-hawk-message=\"Affiliate disclaimer removed because hawk deemed there are no affiliate links on this page\">\n<p class=\"text-[var(--affiliate-disclaimer--text-color,inherit))] mb-2 text-[length:var(--affiliate-disclaimer--font-size,0.75rem)] leading-[18px] md:text-[13px] [&amp;&gt;a]:text-inherit [&amp;&gt;a]:underline\">\nWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here\u2019s how it works.\n<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-widget-type=\"contentparsed\" id=\"content\" class=\"clear-both widget widget-contentparsed widget-content widget-contentparsed-content widget-content-parsed widget-content-parsed-content_document \">\n<div class=\"wcp-item-content\">\n<section class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"box less-space hero-image-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"mb-0\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-2000-80.png.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-1920-80.png.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-1600-80.png.webp 1600w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-1440-80.png.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-1280-80.png.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-1200-80.png.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-1024-80.png.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-970-80.png.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-750-80.png.webp 750w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-480-80.png.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"font-article-copy text-(--image--text--color) font-article-copy mt-2\"><span class=\"caption-text font-article-copy\">Thomas De Gendt shares his take on the expectations facing compatriot Remco Evenepoel<\/span><span class=\"credit font-article-copy\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"article-body\" class=\"text-copy bodyCopy auto paywall-locker\">\n<div data-analytics-id=\"utility-bar\" id=\"utility-bar\" class=\"font-ui-heading flex justify-between items-center py-2 border-t border-b border-gray-300 border-solid mb-5 mx-auto\" data-component-name=\"UtilityBar\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"utility-bar\">\n<div class=\"flex gap-2 text-[#333] subcontainer\">\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<div data-component-name=\"Social:Dropdown\" role=\"menu\" id=\"utilitybar__dropdown--share\" aria-labelledby=\"utilitybar__button--share\" class=\"absolute left-0 top-full w-44 bg-white rounded-md shadow-md border border-neutral-200 z-[9996] list-none m-0 py-2 px-3 border-solid\">\n<ul class=\"m-0!\">\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Facebook<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>X<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Pinterest<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Email<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-share-this-article\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nShare this article\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\"><span class=\"ml-1 inline-flex h-5 px-2 shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center overflow-hidden whitespace-nowrap rounded-[10px] bg-primary-500 text-[11px] leading-none font-ui-heading font-semibold text-white\">7<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-join-the-conversation\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nJoin the conversation\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex gap-2 text-[#333] subcontainer\">\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<p>Follow us<\/p>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-add-us-as-a-preferred-source-on-google\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nAdd us as a preferred source on Google\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-subscribe-to-our-newsletter\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nSubscribe to our newsletter\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"elk-9fca65fb-81a0-4880-aebc-bd6cfbbfd11b\">Whatever Remco Evenepoel does or does not achieve in the Tour de France this July, it&#8217;s worth remembering that he has already had a good Classics season.<\/p>\n<p>Third in the Tour of Flanders in his debut there was a success, so it&#8217;s not like his year will be a bad one if, say, he now only wins one stage in the Tour. I think with Tadej Poga\u010dar and Jonas Vingegaard there, if Remco can get third and wins the time trial that&#8217;d be a good race for him, whilst for it to be a great Tour, he&#8217;d have to get a mountain stage win against Poga\u010dar or wear the yellow jersey.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-9fca65fb-81a0-4880-aebc-bd6cfbbfd11b-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">But can he achieve even more than that? In many ways, that&#8217;s Remco&#8217;s problem right now in Belgium. Because even if he did get third, then a lot of people will say he didn&#8217;t perform well. While somebody else gets just one top 10 in a stage and they&#8217;d say, &#8216;Ah, that was a really good Tour de France&#8217;, in Remco&#8217;s case, even being on the podium of a Grand Tour \u2013 which for me is as good as it can get right now, barring major surprises \u2013 that just wouldn&#8217;t be good enough.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-6 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-[10px] lg:my-8\" data-component-name=\"JwPlayer:Carousel\" data-jwp-carousel data-jwp-carousel-payload=\"{&quot;ids&quot;:{&quot;playerID&quot;:&quot;jYDCcabO&quot;,&quot;searchPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;divID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;fallbackPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;fallbackDivID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;key&quot;:&quot;X9\/mXVGac0NphghLH9hZaqWA5d3dhAM\/Ih07grnEyMLjuO2E&quot;,&quot;tintLogo&quot;:true,&quot;useSearchPlaylist&quot;:false,&quot;enabled&quot;:true},&quot;signPostingEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;signPostingLinkEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;waitForAdLoad&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnDesktop&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnMobile&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnTablet&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-nowrap items-center justify-between gap-3 bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-header>\n<div class=\"flex min-w-0 shrink items-center\"><span class=\"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-article-heading capitalize leading-5 text-white whitespace-nowrap\"><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-desktop\">Latest Videos From<\/span><span class=\"jwp-carousel-brand inline-flex items-center\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] block h-[18px] w-auto shrink-0 brightness-0 invert\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aspect-video w-full min-h-[200px] lg:min-h-[330px] relative overflow-hidden bg-black\" data-jwp-carousel-container>\n<div class=\"absolute inset-0 size-full items-center justify-center bg-white\" data-jwp-carousel-fallback><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] max-h-12 w-auto\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"min-h-[44px] bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-signposting><a class=\"invisible block truncate text-sm font-bold leading-5 text-white underline decoration-solid underline-offset-2\" data-jwp-carousel-signposting-link href target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-jwp-carousel-signposting-title>Watch full video here: <\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Within those double standards, if his time trialling is taken for granted, the high mountains are going to be where Remco&#8217;s Tour is really judged. But again, the standards he is judged by are wrong. That&#8217;s because if you put him in a race where there is no Poga\u010dar and no Vingegaard, then he&#8217;s one of the best on the climbs because he can choose his own tempo on them. But his problem is that when Poga\u010dar attacks, he can put Remco in the red zone and after a few minutes, he explodes. He loses 30 or 40 seconds in those two minutes, after which he gets to his own tempo again and he doesn&#8217;t get dropped that badly. He&#8217;s a time triallist and once he gets to his own pace, he&#8217;s really capable. But by that point he&#8217;s lost that minute on the climb, so it&#8217;s difficult.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">He&#8217;s far from being alone in having this problem when Poga\u010dar attacks and unfortunately Remco&#8217;s upper limit isn&#8217;t quite good enough to follow Poga\u010dar. But maybe now with the new training approach Remco has, it could be he&#8217;s been training like a maniac to get his VO2 Max up and he&#8217;ll get that extra percentage point \u2013 and it really is just 1% difference. But remember that if on paper it looks easy, in practice is another thing.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\"><span class=\"\n            flex\n            after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]\n            before:content-[&apos;&apos;] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]\n            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold\n        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"flex flex-col gap-0 m-0 max-w-full\">\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-1\" id=\"recirculation-inline-1\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-inline-1\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-inline-1\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-250-80.png.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-150-80.png.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">Jonas Vingegaard will try, but in reality, no one is likely to upset the Tadej Poga\u010dar show at the Tour de France \u2013 Philippa York analysis<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-2\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-inline-2\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-inline-2\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-250-80.png.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-150-80.png.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">Who will win the Tour de France 2026? Our definitive ranking of the favourites for the yellow jersey<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ccc] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-3\" id=\"recirculation-inline-3\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-inline-3\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-inline-3\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F9aNQKLW9rmhuXWVgxXCsH-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F9aNQKLW9rmhuXWVgxXCsH-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">Altitude top-ups, recons, and down time \u2013 What are the yellow jersey hopefuls up to ahead of the Tour de France?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure full-width-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-5bbecbae-2562-4fca-9b14-39e21c23c1b9\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-1024-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-1024-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-1024-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-1024-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" full-width-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Remco Evenepoel in action earlier this year <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2d87be7d-dd4f-4230-929a-511a61bb2123\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Talking of numbers, I&#8217;ve seen all this stuff about his FTP value of 425 and actually I think it&#8217;s a number that&#8217;s lower than what he is actually pushing \u2013 it&#8217;s just a training number. For example, my own FTP on paper was always 430 or 435 with a weight of 69kg. But in the races, it could actually rise to something like 460 for 20 minutes. So what your FTP is in the race and on paper are two very different things.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">As for the <em>why<\/em> he published that number, he may explain that at some point before the Tour so it&#8217;ll become clear, but right now that&#8217;s hard to understand. After all, the two guys that are ahead of him in the Tour will likely always stay in front of him \u2013 and that&#8217;s Vingegaard and Poga\u010dar. But I suppose that at least for a lot of the guys that are training at home, they now know what numbers they have to push to be at the top level&#8230;<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-rY4oNWiss8uJN5EbxxfsKL\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-rY4oNWiss8uJN5EbxxfsKL slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__header\">Get The Leadout Newsletter<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<footer class=\"newsletter-form__footer \">By submitting your information you agree to the Terms &amp; Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.<\/footer>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">As for other rivals apart from Vingegaard and Poga\u010dar, I&#8217;m not expecting as much from Paul Seixas as some people are this July. He can always surprise me, and his numbers for a 19-year-old are incredible, and he will for sure be a Tour de France winner one day. But this is his first Grand Tour and while I think he&#8217;ll be there in the mix at the top level for the first two weeks, the third week is always something of a question mark for a lot of riders, and that includes Seixas.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It&#8217;s even true for riders who have finished on the podium of a Grand Tour. You can get sick in the build-up, say, and that can sometimes only emerge as a problem in the third week because you&#8217;re missing 1% or 2% in your endurance and in the last part of a Grand Tour, you pay a really high price for those tiny gaps. So Seixas has to learn how his body will react after two weeks and what happens in the third when Poga\u010dar and Vingegaard unleash their demons, and as a result, I think it&#8217;ll be difficult for him to be on the final podium.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"evenepoel-and-lipowitz-3\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Evenepoel and Lipowitz<\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-8fcec417-e789-4f5d-82d5-fffd04f01583\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">How Evenepoel works with Florian Lipowitz is another story. Lipowitz is a teammate but he could be a bit of a problem, because imagine Lipowitz attacks a bit early on a climb and Remco is not allowed to chase, then he&#8217;s a bit blocked behind because of team tactics. You&#8217;re just stuck on the wheels in a group.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\"><span class=\"\n            flex\n            after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]\n            before:content-[&apos;&apos;] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]\n            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold\n        \"><br \/>\n            What to read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"flex flex-col gap-0 m-0 max-w-full\">\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-1\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2-1\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-2-inline-1\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-2-inline-1\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Ty569jeaw6C8tRZavL46kT-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Ty569jeaw6C8tRZavL46kT-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">No Poga\u010dar or Vingegaard but Paul Seixas faces test of Tour de France credentials against Del Toro, Ayuso and more \u2013 Analysing the contenders at Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-2\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2-2\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-2-inline-2\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-2-inline-2\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VYet7yHEpUKFs76MRt82oZ-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VYet7yHEpUKFs76MRt82oZ-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">Tour de France 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ccc] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-3\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2-3\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-2-inline-3\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-2-inline-3\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">By winning the Giro d&#8217;Italia, Jonas Vingegaard has had his strongest Tour de France preparation yet \u2013 but we still have no idea how he&#8217;ll compare with Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure full-width-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-89071301-1009-43ce-b9b1-30245f768692\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-1024-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-1024-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-1024-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-1024-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" full-width-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Remco Evenepoel leads Florian Lipowitz on a mountain stage in Catalunya <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-e6c925f0-f4b2-4e6f-b585-959c23b47f02\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">For sure they will have some discussions before the Tour, but they will have to reach some solid agreements. Because at some point you have to make a decision, one of them may have to sacrifice his options for the other. It&#8217;s a team sport, and you can&#8217;t just race for a top five placing in the Tour. Because then if you end up in fourth and fifth, say, and nobody&#8217;s on the podium, then it will look a bit stupid.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">What will also define Remco&#8217;s Tour is how he comes out of such a long time before it without any racing, training for over two months purely for the Tour. I can only speak for myself but if I didn&#8217;t do any racing for a month, then the first few days of competition were always horrible, because your legs miss the speed. I just hope for him that&#8217;s not the case, because for me not racing so long would be a really bad decision. On top of that, the first day of the Tour is a team time trial and it&#8217;s not like Remco can sit back, he&#8217;s the TT powerhouse for his squad. I&#8217;ve already seen that when there are TTTs, if the other guys do 20-second turns, Remco&#8217;s doing 40 to one minute. So the results of the TTT will be almost completely on his shoulders.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">On the other hand, I know Remco a little bit, and I also know that when he&#8217;s in a race, he&#8217;s there to win and not just follow wheels. You could see that at the beginning of the year, when he was at preparation races and he kept on having to win: he&#8217;s a difficult rider to contain. It doesn&#8217;t matter if you say &#8216;Please, just go to the Tour de Suisse and we&#8217;ll do it as preparation, just going for it on two stages&#8217;. If he can attack 60 kilometres from the line, then he will.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure full-width-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-5709e7a1-cfeb-4bf7-810b-62e654560b98\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-1024-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-1024-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-1024-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-1024-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" full-width-layout\"><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-322e356c-a0ce-4081-ae04-dded61a1b0eb\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Not only that, all of the parameters in training are controllable, you have a reduced risk of crashing, a lower risk of getting sick. But truth to tell, we&#8217;ll only really know by the end of July, not the beginning, if this training strategy was a good or bad decision.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">In fact, Remco&#8217;s problem is a different one \u2013 it&#8217;s that for some people, only winning is good enough at this point and that&#8217;s a bit of a shame. Particularly because while Remco went to Red Bull to win races, I think winning the Tour will be really difficult. It&#8217;s not impossible, but realistically, I think he only has a small chance.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It&#8217;s not that some people back home have less sympathy for Remco because he left QuickStep, rather that there&#8217;s something about him and his results that they always look at differently. He won six of seven races in the first two months of the year, and then just because he was dropped on one climb in the UAE Tour, their theory is that he&#8217;s not performing well. So he can achieve whatever he can, but the moment he doesn&#8217;t perform, even if he crashes and has bad legs as a result, they&#8217;ll always say that&#8217;s no excuse. Or even after finishing third in Flanders, expectations were higher for Li\u00e8ge and the Ardennes races, and when he didn&#8217;t perform so well, they burned him down again.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So that&#8217;s Remco&#8217;s story: he&#8217;s in a position where even if he does win, he&#8217;s still doing something wrong in the eyes of a lot of people \u2013 and a lot of journalists as well. And unfortunately it seems like nothing can change that, not even (maybe) finishing third in the Tour de France this July.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-7ef07d25-8fe8-4f16-b530-6de7f5f17725\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><em><strong>The world\u2019s biggest bike race deserves world-class coverage. Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona through to Paris, our experienced team will bring you breaking news, expert insight, and in-depth coverage from every stage as the battle for the yellow jersey plays out. Plus, access the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! <\/strong><\/em><u><em><strong>Find out more.<\/strong><\/em><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block mb-5\" id=\"articleTag\" data-component-name=\"PostArticleLinks\" data-nosnippet data-mrf-recirculation=\"post-article-links\">\n<div class=\"border-b border-b-black border-solid py-2.5 text-black font-bold uppercase\">TOPICS<\/div>\n<nav class=\"py-2.5 flex gap-2.5 flex-wrap\" data-analytics-id=\"article-tag\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-tag\">\n<p>Road<\/p>\n<p>Remco Evenepoel<\/p>\n<p>Florian Lipowitz<\/p>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"slice-container-authorBio-rY4oNWiss8uJN5EbxxfsKL\" class=\"slice-container slice-author-bio authorBio-rY4oNWiss8uJN5EbxxfsKL slice-container-authorBio\">\n<div class=\"author author__default-layout author--separator\">\n<div class=\"author__header\">\n<div class=\"author__heading\">\n<div class=\"author__name\">Thomas De Gendt<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"relative max-w-[1070px] viafoura-twig-component mt-6 mx-4 lg:mx-0\" data-component-name=\"Viafoura:Comments\" data-nosnippet data-community-guidelines-text=\"&lt;p class=&apos;vfcustom-community-guidelines&apos;&gt;Please follow our &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/about\/#section-community-guidelines&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;community guidelines&lt;\/a&gt;.&lt;\/p&gt;\" data-join-the-conversation-text=\"Join the Conversation\">\n<div class=\"absolute top-0 left-0 w-full h-full flex items-center justify-center z-50 bg-white\/90 border-1 rounded-b-[var(--comment-widget-border-radius,0)]\">\n<div class=\"p-2 text-center\">\n<p class=\"mb-3 text-lg!\">You must confirm your public display name before commenting<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3 text-sm!\">Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"mx-2 my-5 sm:mx-0\">\n<aside class=\"w-full\" data-nosnippet data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-stacked\">\n<div data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-adviser:hybrid\">\n<div class=\"text-white py-4 px-3 mb-4 bg-[#333] uppercase font-bold custom-header-styles\">Read more<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-1 gap-4 mt-4 mb-5\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Racing<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Jonas Vingegaard will try, but in reality, no one is likely to upset the Tadej Poga\u010dar show at the Tour de France \u2013 Philippa York analysis<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Who will win the Tour de France 2026? Our definitive ranking of the favourites for the yellow jersey<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F9aNQKLW9rmhuXWVgxXCsH-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F9aNQKLW9rmhuXWVgxXCsH-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F9aNQKLW9rmhuXWVgxXCsH-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F9aNQKLW9rmhuXWVgxXCsH-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F9aNQKLW9rmhuXWVgxXCsH-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Altitude top-ups, recons, and down time \u2013 What are the yellow jersey hopefuls up to ahead of the Tour de France?<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Ty569jeaw6C8tRZavL46kT-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Ty569jeaw6C8tRZavL46kT-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Ty569jeaw6C8tRZavL46kT-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Ty569jeaw6C8tRZavL46kT-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Ty569jeaw6C8tRZavL46kT-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Racing<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">No Poga\u010dar or Vingegaard but Paul Seixas faces test of Tour de France credentials against Del Toro, Ayuso and more \u2013 Analysing the contenders at Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VYet7yHEpUKFs76MRt82oZ-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VYet7yHEpUKFs76MRt82oZ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VYet7yHEpUKFs76MRt82oZ-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VYet7yHEpUKFs76MRt82oZ-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VYet7yHEpUKFs76MRt82oZ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Racing<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Tour de France 2026<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">By winning the Giro d&#8217;Italia, Jonas Vingegaard has had his strongest Tour de France preparation yet \u2013 but we still have no idea how he&#8217;ll compare with Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside class=\"w-full\" data-nosnippet data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-stacked\">\n<div data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-solr:latest-category\">\n<div class=\"text-white py-4 px-3 mb-4 bg-[#333] uppercase font-bold custom-header-styles\">Latest in Teams &amp; Riders<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-1 gap-4 mt-4 mb-5\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;Tadej keeps on surprising us&#8217; \u2013 The inside view on how UAE Team Emirates-XRG have constructed Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s assault on a fifth Tour de France<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/emy9d3Pz2Bn5opRnPDhAhY-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/emy9d3Pz2Bn5opRnPDhAhY-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/emy9d3Pz2Bn5opRnPDhAhY-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/emy9d3Pz2Bn5opRnPDhAhY-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/emy9d3Pz2Bn5opRnPDhAhY-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe announce full Tour de France team and &#8216;dual leadership approach&#8217; around Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5hyiDva6XRbQL2pi4MTQUd-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5hyiDva6XRbQL2pi4MTQUd-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5hyiDva6XRbQL2pi4MTQUd-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5hyiDva6XRbQL2pi4MTQUd-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5hyiDva6XRbQL2pi4MTQUd-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Jayco AlUla hedge Tour de France stage hunting bets with options from Ben O&#8217;Connor to Michael Matthews and Pascal Ackermann<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bXQT53HpJF6jJKzoLSaAXU-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bXQT53HpJF6jJKzoLSaAXU-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bXQT53HpJF6jJKzoLSaAXU-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bXQT53HpJF6jJKzoLSaAXU-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bXQT53HpJF6jJKzoLSaAXU-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Another Tour de France rider at risk? Visma-Lease a Bike say Edoardo Affini &#8216;will be monitored&#8217; after high-speed crash at Italian Road Championships<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Tour de France team-by-team guide \u2013 Line-up, leaders and ambitions for every squad on the start list<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NQu72imttAwpz7zZTTFxcN-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NQu72imttAwpz7zZTTFxcN-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NQu72imttAwpz7zZTTFxcN-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NQu72imttAwpz7zZTTFxcN-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NQu72imttAwpz7zZTTFxcN-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;Full of confidence and with a real sense of anticipation&#8217; \u2013 Can Biniam Girmay recapture his 2024 Tour de France form with this NSN lead-out?<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside class=\"w-full\" data-nosnippet data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-stacked\">\n<div data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-solr:latest-articletype\">\n<div class=\"text-white py-4 px-3 mb-4 bg-[#333] uppercase font-bold custom-header-styles\">Latest in Features<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-1 gap-4 mt-4 mb-5\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;Tadej keeps on surprising us&#8217; \u2013 The inside view on how UAE Team Emirates-XRG have constructed Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s assault on a fifth Tour de France<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gfAaSpgaBD5eiD77JQmbFF-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gfAaSpgaBD5eiD77JQmbFF-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gfAaSpgaBD5eiD77JQmbFF-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gfAaSpgaBD5eiD77JQmbFF-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gfAaSpgaBD5eiD77JQmbFF-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Safety<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">The High Temperature Protocol, switching dates, racing in the morning \u2013 What could the future of the Tour de France look like as summer temperatures continue to rise?<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Tour de France team-by-team guide \u2013 Line-up, leaders and ambitions for every squad on the start list<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/eJrCHdKTBj9hHGTR8wCCMa-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/eJrCHdKTBj9hHGTR8wCCMa-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/eJrCHdKTBj9hHGTR8wCCMa-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/eJrCHdKTBj9hHGTR8wCCMa-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/eJrCHdKTBj9hHGTR8wCCMa-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Women&#8217;s Cycling<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;It&#8217;s crazy how much can change in a year&#8217; \u2013 Lauren Dickson&#8217;s remarkable rise from cycling newbie to smashing Grand Tours with Demi Vollering<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Racing<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Jonas Vingegaard will try, but in reality, no one is likely to upset the Tadej Poga\u010dar show at the Tour de France \u2013 Philippa York analysis<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/w2yKVk6YqjVoyao7mRTdRT-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/w2yKVk6YqjVoyao7mRTdRT-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/w2yKVk6YqjVoyao7mRTdRT-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/w2yKVk6YqjVoyao7mRTdRT-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/w2yKVk6YqjVoyao7mRTdRT-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Cycling Kit &amp; Accessories<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">New Prologo MIG AIR CPC and MIG CPC gloves ensure aerodynamics, fit and comfort<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"widgetArea17\" class=\"widget-area md:basis-1\/3 widget-area-g-md-vp-1-3 widget-area-g-lg-vp-1-3 widget-area-g-xl-vp-1-3 page-widget-area-17\">\n<div data-widget-type=\"dynamic\" id=\"popular-data\" class=\"clear-both widget widget-dynamic widget-popular-data widget-dynamic-popular-data widget-dynamic-fter-popular-box\">\n<div class=\"wdn-fte-pb pos-relative space-t20\n\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-popularBox\" class=\"slice-container popular-box-slice popularBox slice-container-popularBox\">\n<section data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"popular-box\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__label\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__label__tab popular-box__label__tab--active\" role=\"heading\">LATEST ARTICLES<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ol class=\"popular-box__articles-list popular-box__articles-list--active\">\n<li class=\"popular-box__article-list\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__container\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__image-wrapper\">\n<div><source class=\"popular-box__article-list__image image__image\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-320-80.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-640-80.jpg.webp 640w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-720-80.jpg.webp 720w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w\" sizes=\"99vw\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR.jpg\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR.jpg\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-slice-image=\"true\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__content\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__number-text\">1<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__heading\">&#8216;Tadej keeps on surprising us&#8217; 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Riders\n<\/li>\n<li>\nRed Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<h1>&#8216;Only winning is good enough&#8217; \u2013 Remco Evenepoel faces unreasonably high Belgian expectations at Tour de France, writes Thomas De Gendt<\/h1>\n<div class=\"byline-social\">\n<div class=\"byline font-ui-heading text-[12px]\">\nFeatures<\/p>\n<div><span><br \/>\nBy<br \/>\nThomas De Gendt <\/span><span><br \/>\npublished<br \/>\n<time data-component-name=\"UI:DateTime\" datetime=\"2026-06-25T13:00:00Z\" class=\"relative-date\"><br \/>\n25 June 2026<br \/>\n<\/time><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Former Tour de France stage winner feels that against Poga\u010dar and Vingegaard, barring major surprises Evenepoel has likely reached an upper limit in July<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"text-gray-700 mx-auto mb-4 flex items-center justify-start mx-0 my-5 p-0\" id=\"affiliate-disclaimer\" data-component-name=\"AffiliateDisclaimer\" data-hawk-message=\"Affiliate disclaimer removed because hawk deemed there are no affiliate links on this page\">\n<p class=\"text-[var(--affiliate-disclaimer--text-color,inherit))] mb-2 text-[length:var(--affiliate-disclaimer--font-size,0.75rem)] leading-[18px] md:text-[13px] [&amp;&gt;a]:text-inherit [&amp;&gt;a]:underline\">\nWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here\u2019s how it works.\n<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"article-body\" class=\"text-copy bodyCopy auto paywall-locker\">\n<div data-analytics-id=\"utility-bar\" id=\"utility-bar\" class=\"font-ui-heading flex justify-between items-center py-2 border-t border-b border-gray-300 border-solid mb-5 mx-auto\" data-component-name=\"UtilityBar\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"utility-bar\">\n<div class=\"flex gap-2 text-[#333] subcontainer\">\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<div data-component-name=\"Social:Dropdown\" role=\"menu\" id=\"utilitybar__dropdown--share\" aria-labelledby=\"utilitybar__button--share\" class=\"absolute left-0 top-full w-44 bg-white rounded-md shadow-md border border-neutral-200 z-[9996] list-none m-0 py-2 px-3 border-solid\">\n<ul class=\"m-0!\">\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Facebook<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>X<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Pinterest<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Email<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-share-this-article\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nShare this article\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\"><span class=\"ml-1 inline-flex h-5 px-2 shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center overflow-hidden whitespace-nowrap rounded-[10px] bg-primary-500 text-[11px] leading-none font-ui-heading font-semibold text-white\">7<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-join-the-conversation\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nJoin the conversation\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex gap-2 text-[#333] subcontainer\">\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<p>Follow us<\/p>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-add-us-as-a-preferred-source-on-google\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nAdd us as a preferred source on Google\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-subscribe-to-our-newsletter\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nSubscribe to our newsletter\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"elk-9fca65fb-81a0-4880-aebc-bd6cfbbfd11b\">Whatever Remco Evenepoel does or does not achieve in the Tour de France this July, it&#8217;s worth remembering that he has already had a good Classics season.<\/p>\n<p>Third in the Tour of Flanders in his debut there was a success, so it&#8217;s not like his year will be a bad one if, say, he now only wins one stage in the Tour. I think with Tadej Poga\u010dar and Jonas Vingegaard there, if Remco can get third and wins the time trial that&#8217;d be a good race for him, whilst for it to be a great Tour, he&#8217;d have to get a mountain stage win against Poga\u010dar or wear the yellow jersey.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-9fca65fb-81a0-4880-aebc-bd6cfbbfd11b-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">But can he achieve even more than that? In many ways, that&#8217;s Remco&#8217;s problem right now in Belgium. Because even if he did get third, then a lot of people will say he didn&#8217;t perform well. While somebody else gets just one top 10 in a stage and they&#8217;d say, &#8216;Ah, that was a really good Tour de France&#8217;, in Remco&#8217;s case, even being on the podium of a Grand Tour \u2013 which for me is as good as it can get right now, barring major surprises \u2013 that just wouldn&#8217;t be good enough.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-6 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-[10px] lg:my-8\" data-component-name=\"JwPlayer:Carousel\" data-jwp-carousel data-jwp-carousel-payload=\"{&quot;ids&quot;:{&quot;playerID&quot;:&quot;jYDCcabO&quot;,&quot;searchPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;divID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;fallbackPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;fallbackDivID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;key&quot;:&quot;X9\/mXVGac0NphghLH9hZaqWA5d3dhAM\/Ih07grnEyMLjuO2E&quot;,&quot;tintLogo&quot;:true,&quot;useSearchPlaylist&quot;:false,&quot;enabled&quot;:true},&quot;signPostingEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;signPostingLinkEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;waitForAdLoad&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnDesktop&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnMobile&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnTablet&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-nowrap items-center justify-between gap-3 bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-header>\n<div class=\"flex min-w-0 shrink items-center\"><span class=\"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-article-heading capitalize leading-5 text-white whitespace-nowrap\"><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-desktop\">Latest Videos From<\/span><span class=\"jwp-carousel-brand inline-flex items-center\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] block h-[18px] w-auto shrink-0 brightness-0 invert\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aspect-video w-full min-h-[200px] lg:min-h-[330px] relative overflow-hidden bg-black\" data-jwp-carousel-container>\n<div class=\"absolute inset-0 size-full items-center justify-center bg-white\" data-jwp-carousel-fallback><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] max-h-12 w-auto\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"min-h-[44px] bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-signposting><a class=\"invisible block truncate text-sm font-bold leading-5 text-white underline decoration-solid underline-offset-2\" data-jwp-carousel-signposting-link href target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-jwp-carousel-signposting-title>Watch full video here: <\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Within those double standards, if his time trialling is taken for granted, the high mountains are going to be where Remco&#8217;s Tour is really judged. But again, the standards he is judged by are wrong. That&#8217;s because if you put him in a race where there is no Poga\u010dar and no Vingegaard, then he&#8217;s one of the best on the climbs because he can choose his own tempo on them. But his problem is that when Poga\u010dar attacks, he can put Remco in the red zone and after a few minutes, he explodes. He loses 30 or 40 seconds in those two minutes, after which he gets to his own tempo again and he doesn&#8217;t get dropped that badly. He&#8217;s a time triallist and once he gets to his own pace, he&#8217;s really capable. But by that point he&#8217;s lost that minute on the climb, so it&#8217;s difficult.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">He&#8217;s far from being alone in having this problem when Poga\u010dar attacks and unfortunately Remco&#8217;s upper limit isn&#8217;t quite good enough to follow Poga\u010dar. But maybe now with the new training approach Remco has, it could be he&#8217;s been training like a maniac to get his VO2 Max up and he&#8217;ll get that extra percentage point \u2013 and it really is just 1% difference. But remember that if on paper it looks easy, in practice is another thing.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\"><span class=\"\n            flex\n            after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]\n            before:content-[&apos;&apos;] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]\n            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold\n        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"flex flex-col gap-0 m-0 max-w-full\">\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-1\" id=\"recirculation-inline-1\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-inline-1\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-inline-1\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-250-80.png.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/vqqtZmiJMoZQD2csCZrp5V-150-80.png.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">Jonas Vingegaard will try, but in reality, no one is likely to upset the Tadej Poga\u010dar show at the Tour de France \u2013 Philippa York analysis<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-2\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-inline-2\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-inline-2\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-250-80.png.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-150-80.png.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">Who will win the Tour de France 2026? Our definitive ranking of the favourites for the yellow jersey<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ccc] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-3\" id=\"recirculation-inline-3\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-inline-3\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-inline-3\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F9aNQKLW9rmhuXWVgxXCsH-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F9aNQKLW9rmhuXWVgxXCsH-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">Altitude top-ups, recons, and down time \u2013 What are the yellow jersey hopefuls up to ahead of the Tour de France?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure full-width-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-5bbecbae-2562-4fca-9b14-39e21c23c1b9\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-1024-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-1024-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-1024-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-1024-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VTj4cjo9dBTrtjTYGcTnde-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" full-width-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Remco Evenepoel in action earlier this year <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2d87be7d-dd4f-4230-929a-511a61bb2123\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Talking of numbers, I&#8217;ve seen all this stuff about his FTP value of 425 and actually I think it&#8217;s a number that&#8217;s lower than what he is actually pushing \u2013 it&#8217;s just a training number. For example, my own FTP on paper was always 430 or 435 with a weight of 69kg. But in the races, it could actually rise to something like 460 for 20 minutes. So what your FTP is in the race and on paper are two very different things.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">As for the <em>why<\/em> he published that number, he may explain that at some point before the Tour so it&#8217;ll become clear, but right now that&#8217;s hard to understand. After all, the two guys that are ahead of him in the Tour will likely always stay in front of him \u2013 and that&#8217;s Vingegaard and Poga\u010dar. But I suppose that at least for a lot of the guys that are training at home, they now know what numbers they have to push to be at the top level&#8230;<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-rY4oNWiss8uJN5EbxxfsKL\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-rY4oNWiss8uJN5EbxxfsKL slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__header\">Get The Leadout Newsletter<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<footer class=\"newsletter-form__footer \">By submitting your information you agree to the Terms &amp; Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.<\/footer>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">As for other rivals apart from Vingegaard and Poga\u010dar, I&#8217;m not expecting as much from Paul Seixas as some people are this July. He can always surprise me, and his numbers for a 19-year-old are incredible, and he will for sure be a Tour de France winner one day. But this is his first Grand Tour and while I think he&#8217;ll be there in the mix at the top level for the first two weeks, the third week is always something of a question mark for a lot of riders, and that includes Seixas.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It&#8217;s even true for riders who have finished on the podium of a Grand Tour. You can get sick in the build-up, say, and that can sometimes only emerge as a problem in the third week because you&#8217;re missing 1% or 2% in your endurance and in the last part of a Grand Tour, you pay a really high price for those tiny gaps. So Seixas has to learn how his body will react after two weeks and what happens in the third when Poga\u010dar and Vingegaard unleash their demons, and as a result, I think it&#8217;ll be difficult for him to be on the final podium.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"evenepoel-and-lipowitz-3\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Evenepoel and Lipowitz<\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-8fcec417-e789-4f5d-82d5-fffd04f01583\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">How Evenepoel works with Florian Lipowitz is another story. Lipowitz is a teammate but he could be a bit of a problem, because imagine Lipowitz attacks a bit early on a climb and Remco is not allowed to chase, then he&#8217;s a bit blocked behind because of team tactics. You&#8217;re just stuck on the wheels in a group.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\"><span class=\"\n            flex\n            after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]\n            before:content-[&apos;&apos;] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]\n            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold\n        \"><br \/>\n            What to read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"flex flex-col gap-0 m-0 max-w-full\">\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-1\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2-1\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-2-inline-1\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-2-inline-1\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Ty569jeaw6C8tRZavL46kT-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Ty569jeaw6C8tRZavL46kT-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">No Poga\u010dar or Vingegaard but Paul Seixas faces test of Tour de France credentials against Del Toro, Ayuso and more \u2013 Analysing the contenders at Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-2\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2-2\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-2-inline-2\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-2-inline-2\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VYet7yHEpUKFs76MRt82oZ-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VYet7yHEpUKFs76MRt82oZ-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">Tour de France 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ccc] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-3\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2-3\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-2-inline-3\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-2-inline-3\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">By winning the Giro d&#8217;Italia, Jonas Vingegaard has had his strongest Tour de France preparation yet \u2013 but we still have no idea how he&#8217;ll compare with Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure full-width-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-89071301-1009-43ce-b9b1-30245f768692\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-1024-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-1024-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-1024-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-1024-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Bm57QdvD5gUdavXeVQNNrd-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" full-width-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Remco Evenepoel leads Florian Lipowitz on a mountain stage in Catalunya <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-e6c925f0-f4b2-4e6f-b585-959c23b47f02\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">For sure they will have some discussions before the Tour, but they will have to reach some solid agreements. Because at some point you have to make a decision, one of them may have to sacrifice his options for the other. It&#8217;s a team sport, and you can&#8217;t just race for a top five placing in the Tour. Because then if you end up in fourth and fifth, say, and nobody&#8217;s on the podium, then it will look a bit stupid.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">What will also define Remco&#8217;s Tour is how he comes out of such a long time before it without any racing, training for over two months purely for the Tour. I can only speak for myself but if I didn&#8217;t do any racing for a month, then the first few days of competition were always horrible, because your legs miss the speed. I just hope for him that&#8217;s not the case, because for me not racing so long would be a really bad decision. On top of that, the first day of the Tour is a team time trial and it&#8217;s not like Remco can sit back, he&#8217;s the TT powerhouse for his squad. I&#8217;ve already seen that when there are TTTs, if the other guys do 20-second turns, Remco&#8217;s doing 40 to one minute. So the results of the TTT will be almost completely on his shoulders.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">On the other hand, I know Remco a little bit, and I also know that when he&#8217;s in a race, he&#8217;s there to win and not just follow wheels. You could see that at the beginning of the year, when he was at preparation races and he kept on having to win: he&#8217;s a difficult rider to contain. It doesn&#8217;t matter if you say &#8216;Please, just go to the Tour de Suisse and we&#8217;ll do it as preparation, just going for it on two stages&#8217;. If he can attack 60 kilometres from the line, then he will.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure full-width-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-5709e7a1-cfeb-4bf7-810b-62e654560b98\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-1024-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-1024-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-1024-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-1024-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dSyzs8u7LxUCYFhFRDYXYV-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" full-width-layout\"><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-322e356c-a0ce-4081-ae04-dded61a1b0eb\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Not only that, all of the parameters in training are controllable, you have a reduced risk of crashing, a lower risk of getting sick. But truth to tell, we&#8217;ll only really know by the end of July, not the beginning, if this training strategy was a good or bad decision.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">In fact, Remco&#8217;s problem is a different one \u2013 it&#8217;s that for some people, only winning is good enough at this point and that&#8217;s a bit of a shame. Particularly because while Remco went to Red Bull to win races, I think winning the Tour will be really difficult. It&#8217;s not impossible, but realistically, I think he only has a small chance.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It&#8217;s not that some people back home have less sympathy for Remco because he left QuickStep, rather that there&#8217;s something about him and his results that they always look at differently. He won six of seven races in the first two months of the year, and then just because he was dropped on one climb in the UAE Tour, their theory is that he&#8217;s not performing well. So he can achieve whatever he can, but the moment he doesn&#8217;t perform, even if he crashes and has bad legs as a result, they&#8217;ll always say that&#8217;s no excuse. Or even after finishing third in Flanders, expectations were higher for Li\u00e8ge and the Ardennes races, and when he didn&#8217;t perform so well, they burned him down again.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So that&#8217;s Remco&#8217;s story: he&#8217;s in a position where even if he does win, he&#8217;s still doing something wrong in the eyes of a lot of people \u2013 and a lot of journalists as well. And unfortunately it seems like nothing can change that, not even (maybe) finishing third in the Tour de France this July.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-7ef07d25-8fe8-4f16-b530-6de7f5f17725\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><em><strong>The world\u2019s biggest bike race deserves world-class coverage. Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona through to Paris, our experienced team will bring you breaking news, expert insight, and in-depth coverage from every stage as the battle for the yellow jersey plays out. Plus, access the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! <\/strong><\/em><u><em><strong>Find out more.<\/strong><\/em><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/only-winning-is-good-enough-remco-evenepoel-faces-unreasonably-high-belgian-expectations-at-tour-de-france-writes-thomas-de-gendt\/&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CZEVvXJSXdg39mQVz8Q7a4-2000-80.png&#8221;] 1 &#8216;I\u2019d say I\u2019m stronger&#8217; \u2013 Tadej Poga\u010dar reveals test results after completing Tour de France tune-up with Tour de Suisse domination 2 Who will win the Tour de France 2026? Our definitive ranking of the favourites for the yellow jersey 3 Jonas Vingegaard will try, but in reality, no one is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,68],"class_list":["post-2012577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-cyclingnews-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2012577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2012577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2012577\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2012577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2012577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2012577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}