"Besides Pogacar, we'll have to keep an eye on riders like Isaac del Toro, Tom Pidcock, and Jay Vine" - Remco Evenepoel
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel is the man to watch for Tadej Pogacar this Sunday at the Kigali World Championships and with 24 hours to go, tension is high and so are the stakes. The Belgian has talked about how the time-trial may or may not have changed his tactics, the main men to watch and his soon-to-be teammate Lorenzo Finn who has impressed beyond belief with his victory in the under-23 road race.
"The result of the time trial doesn't change anything. We have a plan, and the plan doesn't change," Evenepoel told Sporza. "The time trial gave me a lot of motivation, but that doesn't mean I'll be overconfident. We have to keep our feet on the ground, because Pogacar is the best rider in recent years."
Evenepoel, like Pogacar, has won the rainbow jersey in the past and after his victory this past Sunday the pressure won't be as high. But that does not mean he will not aim for another one, and with his current form - and Pogacar's uncertainty - it is certainly viable to believe we could have a close duel. One thing Evenepoel will not let happen again is Pogacar escaping with a surprise early move, as happened in Zurich.
"Last year he surprised us; we hadn't even thought of a scenario like that. This time we'll talk about it, because 100 kilometers from the finish line is Mount Kigali, one of the key points of the race: we'll have to be very careful". However, despite the absence of an ill Tiesj Benoot, it may be the Slovenians that have to watch out for the Belgians, who may ally with other of the several strong national teams who may want to wreak havoc in the hilly circuit.
"The climb will arrive after four hours of racing: many riders will already be struggling, and that's where the fun begins. I don't expect too much of a wait-and-see attitude: even in youth races, we've seen how the laps fly by quickly. I expect a race of elimination, of attrition."
This could benefit the climbers. Evenepoel opens up his game, and has named the riders he believes can be the most dangerous besides the defending champion: "Besides Pogacar, we'll have to keep an eye on riders like Isaac del Toro, Tom Pidcock, and Jay Vine".
Evenepoel is also aware that UAE riders may help out Pogacar under the right circumstances. This played an important role in his victory last year in Zurich, where Pavel Sivakov collaborated with the Slovenian despite burning his chances of going for a top result.
"They'll definitely give Pogacar a hand, as they did last year," the Belgian bets on. "It would be important to have as few UAE riders as possible in front of them, but it won't be easy because they're in good shape. I'll have to play my cards and read the race carefully."
A new golden teammate at Red Bull?
However Evenepoel has plenty good news throughout the past few days, including his teammate Ilan van Wilder who did the ride of his life to finish on the time-trial Worlds podium and may be a key asset this Sunday, but also the rise of Lorenzo Finn who will be a teammate of his from 2027 onwards and has become junior and under-23 World Champion in consecutive years.
"Finn impressed me; he's brilliant and intelligent, and has a great future ahead of him: I can't wait to meet him," Evenepoel said of the rider who seems to be delivering similar potential to what Evenepoel had at the same age.
"However, the Under 23 race doesn't provide any indications for the pros, especially now that the World Tour riders are no longer there. But it's certainly a tough course, one that lends itself to solo efforts."
Lorenzo Finn did what Remco Evenepoel didn't have the chance to: Win Junior and U23 World Championships consecutively. @Imago
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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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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