"A wasted year" - Remco Evenepoel warned not to take on 2027 Giro d'Italia after Tour presentation
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel has had a season of ups and downs in 2026, adapting to Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, finding his best legs at the Tour de France, but often missing in key moments. 2027 is a new year and one where the Tour de France should be the major priority according to Belgian pundit Marc Sergeant.
“In the Tour’s two time trials, I can see him gaining two to three minutes on his rivals," Sergeant told Het Nieuwsblad. "And given how well he held his own on the climbs during the second half of this year’s Tour, it won’t be easy for the others to claw back that kind of gap in the mountains".
Whilst there was discussion between the Giro or Tour for 2027, the 71 kilometers of almost purely flat individual time trialing at the 2027 Tour de France's route make it a once-in-a-lifetime occasion for the Belgian thus far.
Evenepoel finished second to Tadej Pogacar this past summer, but now finds himself with a route that actually benefits him over any other of his rivals.
"Furthermore, if he were to choose the Giro, how often would we actually get to see him compete in the Classics?”
Evenepoel won Amstel Gold Race and finished on the podium of both the Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, all races that are highly important for the Olympic Champion - a natural classics specialist.
Remco Evenepoel has a tailor-made Tour de France route for him in 2027
Sergeant against Evenepoel starting Giro d'Italia
Sergeant, a former manager of Lotto-Intermarché, sees very little questioning on which Grand Tour the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe rider should focus on.
“Suppose he wins the Giro and reaches the podium at the Tour—that would be fantastic. But the price to pay is that we would hardly see him at all during the spring," he warns. "I, along with many other cycling fans, would much rather see Evenepoel competing in the Classics than see him at the start of the Giro as an ‘invisible’ presence".
In either scenario, a participation at the Giro would mean Evenepoel's absence of focus - and in presence too, most likely - from the classics, so as to train and manage his weight for the demands of a Grand Tour. Such would also hamper his chances of fighting for a Tour de France win.
"Winning the Giro is a great achievement, but for me, it would still, in a sense, amount to a wasted year.”
Full focus on Tour de France made the difference
The preparation period ahead of the Tour this past summer proved perfect for Evenepoel, aided by Jonas Vingegaard's former coach Tim Heemskerk. The Belgian rode into the Tour without competition in the legs, but improved significantly as the race moved forward.
“Remco was so strong at the Tour precisely because, after the Classics, he focused exclusively on the French race, with two full months available for preparation," he details. "If he were to race the Giro, he would have to forgo the Classics. I don’t think he would find much satisfaction in that".
Additionally, the mental side of it comes to play, with Sergeant believing that Evenepoel does have a preference for the classics and in taking victories throughout the year instead of training.
"Cycling has become an extremely demanding pursuit, involving highly specific training regimens and high-altitude camps. Someone like Remco wants to race, and he wants to win.”
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- why do we need to scroll for ages after each article to get to the comments section? ah, yes… we need to know every little detail about the amazing career of the ‚author‘. again and again …Ketterechts31-10-2026
- Pogi's injuries were much worse than we thought, but "Baby Hulk" will heal, and will "smash" again. Beware of the "green monster" next year!!!PogiSloFans31-10-2026
- good point. depends on who shows up, and if Remco is able to be TdF Remco or Lombardia Remcomij31-10-2026
- it is so funmij31-10-2026
- Seriously? A second article on the same quote?
Rafionain-Glas31-10-2026 - This shows, I think, how the points distribution is skewed in the wrong way. Brennan definitely had a more successful season than Jorgenson.Rafionain-Glas31-10-2026
- you need to see it again then. Many times del toro and seixas mogged and dropped jonas. UAE and pogacar didnt even bother about jonas and honestly completely humiliuated and made fun of Jonas stage 2-3...stage prior to jonas crahsed del toro and seixas also dropped him. No idea what race you saw honestly :/miguel31-10-2026
- Or that he's been advised to recover to a certain level first before thinking about the TourHills3331-10-2026
- He hasn't even checked it! That says a lot about his confidence...Lukicinho31-10-2026
- Only beat Pogi because he’d been looking after IdT all stage. Without that Pogi would have won the stage and put another 2 mins into Remco, same on Stage 20!Lozza31-10-2026
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