“Every extra kilogram is one too many” - Remco Evenepoel warned by Belgian expert he has weight problem after Il Lombardia disappointment
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel arrived at Il Lombardia with Tadej Pogacar absent, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe riding for him and a genuine chance to win. He still missed the podium, and Jose De Cauwer believes one of the Belgian’s oldest problems may have caught up with him again: weight.
Evenepoel faded on Civiglio as Paul Seixas rode clear, eventually finishing fourth behind the Frenchman, Enric Mas and Giulio Ciccone. For De Cauwer, the steepness of the decisive climb only sharpened the issue.
“He wasn’t even among the ten best,” De Cauwer said afterwards. “We have only seen the Tour version of Remco once since then, that sharp.”
“Every extra kilogram is one too many”
Evenepoel had deliberately lost weight in preparation for the Tour de France earlier in the season, working with coach Tim Heemskerk on getting leaner without sacrificing the power that has always been central to his racing.
De Cauwer believes maintaining that condition is simply harder for Evenepoel than it is for some of the naturally lighter riders around him. “We shouldn’t be negative about it. It has always been a challenge for Remco to keep his weight under control in one way or another,” he said. “Maybe that affects him more than others. If Seixas rides away on a climb averaging 10%, every extra kilogram is one too many.”
Remco Evenepoel in action at Il Lombardia 2026
Civiglio offered little room to hide. Seixas made the difference on gradients consistently around 10%, initially putting Evenepoel and Isaac del Toro into difficulty before Tom Pidcock and Giulio Ciccone also lost contact.
De Cauwer described his assessment as “simply an observation”, pointing back to other races in the autumn rather than treating Lombardia as an isolated bad day.
“You come to the World Championships and you can’t stay with the riders you should normally be competing with,” he continued. “Del Toro couldn’t follow today either, but that’s not the point. Then Evenepoel does an intermediate race and beats Ciccone, who finishes third today.”
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“He has thighs”
The former rider also contrasted Evenepoel’s build with climbers who naturally sit at a much lower weight. “When you look at Remco, he has thighs,” De Cauwer said. “There are also riders who are 1.72 metres tall and weigh 52 kilograms, but he isn’t that type. He has to fight against it. It really is a battle, believe me.”
That battle had been particularly intense before the Tour. “For the Tour, it cost him an enormous amount of time and energy,” De Cauwer said. “I can imagine that after the Tour it is difficult to stay at that weight. That will always be an additional problem for Remco.”
Evenepoel’s own account of Lombardia was more straightforward. He felt good for much of the race and believed Red Bull-BORA had things under control, but said his legs began to fill up during the final hour.
“I didn’t come here for fourth place,” he admitted after the finish. “But there wasn’t much more in it. I always want to win, but my legs didn’t allow it.”
He will now close his season at the Chrono des Nations, where one final time trial separates Evenepoel from the winter after a Lombardia that did not deliver the opportunity he had hoped for.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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