“Bonus seconds always play a role here” – Remco Evenepoel forced onto the chase after Isaac del Toro’s surprise UAE Tour opener

Stage 1 of the 2026 UAE Tour was meant to be procedural for the general classification contenders. Instead, it handed Remco Evenepoel an immediate deficit and reframed the opening days around damage control and response.

The Belgian stayed deliberately out of the late chaos, prioritising safety on a wind-disrupted day that grew increasingly nervous as the finish approached. That caution proved costly on the stopwatch. A punchy acceleration from Isaac del Toro on the uphill drag to the line delivered not just the stage win but ten bonus seconds, instantly forcing Evenepoel into chase mode far earlier than planned.

For Evenepoel, the implications were clear as soon as the result filtered through.

“The aim has to be to ride that deficit back tomorrow already,” he said afterwards in conversation with Sporza, setting his focus squarely on the race’s first real control point.

Despite conceding time, Evenepoel was quick to place the situation in context. He admitted he had not even realised Del Toro had taken the stage until after the finish, underlining just how detached he was from the finale itself.

“That’s very nice for him and for his team,” he said. “Bonus seconds always play a role here.”

Rather than treating the loss as a setback, Evenepoel framed it as a familiar element of the UAE Tour, pointing back to his own experience of exploiting uphill finishes during his overall victory in 2023. The message was clear: time lost to bonuses is time designed to be taken back elsewhere.

“This ultimately changes nothing about the tactics or the mindset for tomorrow,” he said.

The opener was reshaped long before the finish line. Strong winds forced organisers to shorten the route during the stage itself, removing a demanding section and compressing the race into a tense, high-speed finale. That compression contributed to a late crash and disrupted several sprint trains, creating the space Del Toro needed to attack rather than wait for a conventional sprint.

For riders like Evenepoel, who had no interest in contesting the finish, the priority was staying upright rather than gambling for seconds on unfamiliar terrain.

“Apparently, there was a lot of sand on the section we didn’t do,” he explained. “That did make the race a bit easier. We didn’t have to ride a fairly difficult part of the course.”

With the opening day done, the narrative now pivots immediately to the 12-kilometre individual time trial, a stage long earmarked as Evenepoel’s first real opportunity to assert control.

“Hopefully, that has to be the intention,” he said of reclaiming the time. “Or at least to take back as much as possible. The flat time trial tomorrow should suit me.”

Del Toro’s advantage may be real, but it is also exposed. Evenepoel made clear he expects his rival to arrive highly motivated and ready to defend. “He is someone who is very strong and will be highly motivated,” he said. “My goal has to be to win the time trial and try to take over the leader’s jersey.”

After one stage, the UAE Tour already has its defining pressure point. For Evenepoel, the chase has started early, but on terrain that plays directly to his strengths.