“Exactly what Remco needs” – Evenepoel’s father credits Jonas Vingegaard’s former coach for career-best Tour de France finish
CyclingSunday, 26 July 2026 at 11:45
Remco Evenepoel is one stage in Paris away from securing the best Tour de France result of his career. Two successive stage victories have helped the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe leader establish a 3:16 advantage over Isaac Del Toro in second place overall, with his father Patrick crediting the strict structure introduced by former Jonas Vingegaard coach Tim Heemskerk.
“Apparently, Tim’s approach is different again,” Patrick Evenepoel told Het Laatste Nieuws. “I don’t know all the details, but I do know that he calls Remco and discusses things with him every day. He works in a very strict and structured way, which is exactly what Remco needs and enjoys.”
Heemskerk joined Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe in May following his departure from Team Visma | Lease a Bike. The Dutchman had worked with Vingegaard from 2019 and helped guide him to Tour de France victories in 2022 and 2023 before taking responsibility for Evenepoel’s training.
Their partnership faced an immediate test at the Tour. Evenepoel rode away from the other general classification contenders to win stage 15 on the Plateau de Solaison before beating Tadej Pogacar by 28 seconds in the individual time trial two days later.
Those performances moved him into second overall and above the third place he achieved on his Tour debut in 2024. He had been occupying the same position in 2025 before abandoning on stage 14 following a difficult and disrupted preparation.
A Tour preparation without racing
Evenepoel did not compete between Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Grand Depart in Barcelona. Rather than building form through stage races, he spent more than two months following a controlled programme with Heemskerk and reduced his travel as much as possible.
The plan was presented to him shortly before Liege-Bastogne-Liege. “Nothing was imposed on him that he didn’t want,” Patrick said. “They asked him: ‘Back to basics, no racing and as little travelling as possible. Are you comfortable with that?’ He immediately nodded and said: ‘Okay, let’s go for it.’”
Evenepoel acknowledged before the Tour that the break had given him time to establish his relationship with Heemskerk. The Belgian had changed coaches after Dan Lorang’s departure from Red Bull was confirmed, adding another adjustment during his first season away from Soudal – Quick-Step.
Patrick stressed that Lorang had achieved excellent results with his son and refused to criticise his qualities. He nevertheless believes the daily contact and rigid organisation offered by Heemskerk have been particularly effective.
The approach left Evenepoel short of recent racing when he arrived in Barcelona, but his condition improved as the Tour progressed. His victory on the Plateau de Solaison was followed by another success in his favoured time trial discipline, securing consecutive wins and strengthening his control of second place.
Remco Evenepoel at the 2026 Tour de France
“What Remco had been missing”
Patrick believes the change has involved more than the identity of Evenepoel’s coach. He feels his son needed authoritative figures prepared to set clear boundaries while retaining his complete trust.
“It was something Remco had been missing a little: people above him who firmly say, ‘Hey, this is how we’re going to do it. No other way,’” he explained. “They are people he listens to and completely trusts, although he still has his own input. Once he is convinced, you can do anything with him.”
Evenepoel joined Red Bull with a palmares already containing the Vuelta a Espana, two editions of Liege-Bastogne-Liege, world titles and two Olympic gold medals. The purpose of the move was not to establish him at the highest level, but to create an environment capable of moving him closer to Pogacar and Vingegaard across three weeks.
Patrick has also seen a change in his son’s relationship with the people responsible for that work. “He has increasingly come to appreciate and respect everything they do for him,” he said. “In the past, he seemed to regard it as something more ‘normal’.”
Pogacar remains 6:26 ahead as he closes in on a record-equalling fifth yellow jersey, but Evenepoel will begin the final stage with his own place secure. Completing the Paris finale will confirm two stage victories and the first Tour de France second place of his career.
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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