CyclingUpToDate Podcast: "He feels that pressure" - Is it a make or break Tour de France for Remco Evenepoel?
CyclingFriday, 03 July 2026 at 21:30
Remco Evenepoel is one of the many stars that has flown in to Barcelona where this weekend the Tour de France peloton will begin its 2026 edition. On the CyclingUpToDate Podcast, Rúben Silva and Kieran Wood have talked about the Olympic Champion's ambitions, the pressure that surrounds him and details regarding the controversial press conference that took place this Thursday afternoon.
The Belgian rider has made his move to Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe last winter, breaking his previous contract with Soudal - Quick-Step. It was a move made with the intent of taking a step and potentially win the Tour de France one day. With Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard still in their prime; and youngsters such as Paul Seixas and Isaac del Toro already racing with the best, there is no guarantee that the Belgian will ever be able to do so.
"The pressure is off a little bit because he got into this a little bit unknown, and the fact that he does have Florian Lipowitz by his side means that it isn't all on him to carry the team's hopes," Wood pointed out in the conversation. Evenepoel was perhaps the most discussed figure, even above Pogacar and Evenepoel.
Perhaps that is because, in the eyes of the duo, there is more pressure on his shoulders than his most direct rivals. "I think that he's relaxed into the Tour, but I think that he knows that he comes to the Tour de France, and all eyes are on him. He feels that pressure. Even if it's not put on him, it's there".
That pressure and tension was palpable during this Thursday's press conference on the Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau. Evenepoel has been used to the pressure from the media for several years, however a few questions got him over the edge, with a few ambiguous answers and also a verbal spat with a journalist on site.
Evenepoel keeps TTT plans to himself and the team
"They asked him about the order in which he would be in the team, like who would be in front of him, who would be behind... And so he particularly did not want to answer that, which was interesting to see. There was a bit of there was tension," Silva, who was front row during the event, could observe.
"In the Evenepoel press conference, there was tension. There was more, but that was one of the questions that he wasn't too keen on. 'But if you look at the pictures', as he said, we can see which order they will do. I think all of the teams have spent the last few days at the Formula circuits, the Formula 1, MotoGP circuit here, and they were training the team time trials there".
The German team will be one of the big favourites to win the opening stage in Barcelona, which could potentially take the Belgian into the yellow jersey but also to deal an early strike into his rivals and confirm that he wants to aim for more than he has on the podium.
2026 Tour de France a 'make or break' for Remco Evenepoel?
"I wouldn't say so, because I think that even if Evenpoel doesn't have a good Tour, if he goes to the Giro next year he can win it," Silva responded. "I don't think it's a make or break, because you can't look at Evenepoel as a make or break rider. He is not the typical climber-Grand Tour specialist, as Pogacar is, as Vingegaard is - riders that are just going in, and even if they don't have their best form, they can just win or finish second, third..."
"If Evenepoel isn't really that good, then he doesn't. He can crack, he can not even contest. So I don't think it is a make or break, but I think that it is very important, and I think in a team's hierarchy, it's necessary to put your foot down. Because he has Florian Lipowitz, Giulio Pellizzari is going up the ranks, and Jai Hindley is staying in the team as well. So if Evenepoel doesn't show that he is really able to climb with the best again, he is going to be sidelined to a secondary calendar".
At the start of a three-year deal, it would be a complication for the Belgian. But above all, a poor Tour de France could in fact bring quite negative consequences towards his hopes of winning it one day. The answer as to whether it's a make or break is not clear for the duo.
But for Silva, there are hopes of a very different Tour than the one of 12 months ago: "I think that he's reaching the race without the debilitating pressure, that he had last year, where he got to the race swarmed with questions of him going to Red Bull. He had a broken rib from the national championships. He had said that he was pretty much already psychologically exhausted by the time he got to the race, and it feels like this time around he hasn't raced for two months. He's fresh. I think that he's going to do really, really good".
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.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Remind me again what Ben has done lately to warrant all this hype?frieders303-07-2026
- Even with Onley they’d be fortunate to get in the top 5, hate to say it but it saves them embarrassment not to have to try for GCJumpyjohn03-07-2026
- A team that can afford his salaryJumpyjohn03-07-2026
- You always manage to make me laugh. You are such a funny man.MajorPayne03-07-2026
- And this is relevant to the article in what way?
Rafionain-Glas03-07-2026 - But it was the strongest field since 2008, and the riders who battled for the podium are GC riders at the TourRafionain-Glas03-07-2026
- I am so glad the tour starts tomorrow because I cannot stomach another article trying to sell JV as Pogacar's equal. These writers keep referencing 2023 as if it has any bearing to 2026. Since the start of the 2024 racing year, Pogacar has been virtually unbeatable. Fast forward to 2026, evidence points that he is still improving. No matter how much JV has improved or his confidence grown, there is little to suggest that he has either closed the gap or leapfrogged Pogacar.Survivor-quest03-07-2026
- Juan Excuso
ScottG03-07-2026 - GC at Giro vs GC at the Tour is different. The field is stacked. Most GC contenders at Giro can only fill the role of super domestique at the Tour.
KerisVroom03-07-2026 - Yes, taking turns with Pogačar was what Horner would call "a knucklehead move". There was no terrain between La Redoute and Roche-en-Faucons for Pogačar to drop Seixas, and Pogačar was always going to attack on the second climb. Plus it's not like the group behind would have caught upRafionain-Glas03-07-2026
Loading
Write a comment