"Climbing doesn’t come very naturally to him" - Coach explains why Remco Evenepoel climbing level wasn't good enough for Il Lombardia
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel has had a mixed end to the season. Despite taking the European Championships victory earlier this month, the Belgian suffered disappointments at both the World Championships and most recently, Il Lombardia.
The Red Bull - BORA Hansgrohe rider was among the favourites on Saturday in the Italian classic. His team worked hard at the front of the peloton for most of the race, notably Giulio Pellizzari and Primoz Roglic's turns at the front as the race headed for the finale in the San Fermo and Civiglio climbs.
But when UAE started to set a tough pace followed by Paul Seixas's blazing attack, ultimately leading to the 20-year-old's victory, Evenepoel's challenge for the win faltered as he struggled to lead the chase of the Decathlon CMA CGM rider.
Like the World Championships finale that also saw Evenepoel struggle, he surged on the downhill and flat sections to recover and finished fourth place. Netherlands Women's National Coach, laurens ten Dam, believes that his strengths are underestimated.
“You almost start to take for granted what that guy can do with his legs,” Ten Dam said on the Live Slow Ride Fast podcast.
Remco Evenepoel in action at Il Lombardia 2026
Ten Dam on Evenepoel's climbing level
“But of course, it’s not normal. To dominate that race like that, even with other contenders in the mix. Five-star favorite Remco Evenepoel had his teammate Pellizzari ride at the front until he couldn’t go any further. That’s when Seixas thought: ‘Hold my beer.’”
Multiple analysts have commented on the Belgian's weight impacting his performances in climbs. The Belgian performed well at the Tour de France while in his lightweight general classification shape. However, at Il Lombardia, he was noticeably heavier after his focus on the time trial at the World Championships. Ten Dam believes that his added power also helped him over the line at the European Championships.
“He’s just a few kilos heavier than he was in the Tour. Climbing doesn’t come very naturally to him. You can see that here, too. Both at the World Championships and here on the longer climbs, he really struggles.
"At the European Championships, he was still able to fake it—he could survive on his power output. But even there, he didn’t manage to break away from Ciccone.”
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“He’s still vulnerable on climbs, unless he follows a full training regiment"
While Evenepoel can reach high levels when it comes to climbing, he believes that it takes specific preparation while that shape doesn't tend to stay for extended periods as his body favours weight gain.
Looking ahead to future Il Lombardia editions, ten Dam believes a well prepared Evenepoel can follow Seixas's attack and beat him in a sprint to the line. However, if Tadej Pogacar is present, beating him will be more difficult.
“He’s still vulnerable on climbs, unless he follows a full training regiment for a few months. But it’s not as if he can maintain that for a few months. His body is built for muscle gain—he puts on weight quickly.
“If he follows Seixas, he’ll beat him in the sprint too. If Tadej gets back to his old form, he’ll obviously still be the one to beat in Lombardy.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- TT But he won by a minute so he could have cut down on some of it
Rafionain-Glas13-10-2026 - weight is measurable. power is measurable. So why didn't he prepare that way from the TDF if he wanted to beat Pogi and after Pogi wasn't going to be there, to win.abstractengineer13-10-2026
- I hope Thibau and Tibor don't do the sameRafionain-Glas13-10-2026
- Seixas is exactly what I would like Pogi to be mentally and in his statements. Both come across as shy and who don't talk much but with Seixas, you can see that he enjoys success, that it boosts his ego, unlike Pogačar who seems to feel increasingly uncomfortable the more he wins. He's won so many times, people are saying he's boring. The french media hate him for winning so much, the french cycling fans are booing him... etc. etc. But remember one thing, Seixas will never physically reach Pogi's level. He's excellent, but he isn't at that level nor will ever be. His talking to the media, his relationship with people is already at a high level.PogiSloFans13-10-2026
- Paul Seixas is now the second-best rider in the world.megasmacky13-10-2026
- When will they start dropping Pogi? Oh yeah, when Pogi reaches 40+ years, that's when young cyclists will start dropping him. But until then... eat your hearts out and cry. Pogi will remain the G.O.A.T. for years to come. Capish?PogiSloFans13-10-2026
- I figure he would have found out how to outsprint Paul and take the win, maybe. He's 28 now but I would say he's right at the peak of his powers. It was great race though, Paul showed me something different about himself.awp13-10-2026
- Slowly, very slowly... 5-7 yrs. ;)MajorPayne13-10-2026
- Up to this point: "It is just not yet at the level of Vingegaard and Pogacar." First Jonas, and then level of Tadej. Period!MajorPayne13-10-2026
- The sport has long had a divide between the more diesel-like riders and the more explosive riders. Where does Pogačar fit? His explosive attacks are followed by a high speed diesel climb and he's rarely been caught in the past 5 years (people can name the moments, it's so rare). Seixas is young and we have no idea where his body will end up on this spectrum (just like we didn't with Pogačar when he was 20 and being a diesel up the Vuelta mountains of 2019). Speculation is fun, being a fan while it unfolds is going to be more fun.RidesHills13-10-2026
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