"Every single race he starts, he has to perform": Bruyneel analyses 2026 calendars for Evenepoel and Roglic

Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe held their media day on Wednesday, announcing a lot of information about next season. During the event, the German team revealed the race calendars of their main riders, amongst them the brand new signing Remco Evenepoel and also Primoz Roglic.

Evenepoel was confirmed to co-lead the squad in the Tour de France, alongside Florian Lipowitz, whilst Roglic will be the sole leader at the Vuelta. Speaking on The Move podcast, Johan Bruyneel analyzed all the information provided by the German team.

"I think the major highlight is it's only 40 days of racing for Remco Evenepoel, so not a lot. It's a traditional programme, you know, he's going to focus on the Ardennes. But you also have to say that a rider like Remco Evenepoel, in a team like Red Bull, he's hired there to win every single race on his programme. There is no races there that he's not going to have any pressure," Bruyneel said.

He stressed that a lighter calendar does not reduce expectations for a rider of Evenepoel’s caliber, as he is always expected to be in 100% shape. "He has the pressure all the time to perform. So, for a rider like Remco, I think that works, because I've seen a lot of times that when he comes back from a training block without any races, he performs mostly the best. In 2023, he raced 68 days, so it's a significant step down."

Bruyneel drew parallels with Mathieu van der Poel, who has also raced selectively in his career. "I know a guy who did less races last year, around 40, and it's Mathieu Van der Poel. And he had 37 race days in 2021, but it is the same thing as Remco. Every single race he starts, he has to perform. That's the label he has. He needs to be the leader of the team and perform."

Victories are of course never guaranteed, but riders like them are always in the mix, never taking "break races" according to Bruyneel. "So, the good thing about these guys is that usually they do deliver. They're not always winning, but they're always in it for the win."

Turning to Primoz Roglic, Bruyneel said the Slovenian’s decision not to target the Tour de France could open the door to a highly successful campaign elsewhere. "Roglic has announced that he's not doing the Tour, he's focusing on the Vuelta, as he can become the all time record holder. I think that Roglic will also do the tour of Switzerland because it's the only one of the seven important one week races that he hasn't won."

Bruyneel also believes a very symbolic milestone is within reach, as long as Roglic can avoid Pogacar during most of the races. "And then also, if Roglic can focus on his own races and races where Pogacar is not racing, I think Roglic could get to 100 victories this season. He has won 91 races so far. So I think Roglic has his own programme, his own goals. And I think it's very achievable," he concluded.