"He sometimes trains on these roads" - Will we see Remco Evenepoel at the Tour of Flanders in 2026?

Last Sunday, Tadej Pogacar once again proved that Grand Tour champions can be cobbled classics kings too. The Slovenian superstar stormed to his second career win at the Tour of Flanders, dropping the very best, including Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, in one of the best performances of his career

His performance has reignited a familiar conversation in Belgium: when will Remco Evenepoel take on De Ronde?

That was the central question raised on the latest episode of the Wuyts & Vlaeminck podcast. Stijn Vlaeminck admitted he couldn’t help but think about it while watching Pogacar light up the finale. “When I watched the final on Sunday, saw Pogacar riding away and saw him accelerate on those hills, I thought a few times: time for Remco Evenepoel to come to the Tour of Flanders,” he said.

Evenepoel, already a world champion, Vuelta winner, double Olympic gold medallist, and two-time winner of Liège–Bastogne–Liège, has so far avoided the cobbled Monuments. But that hasn’t stopped fans and pundits from speculating about his potential on home soil.

Former pro Nathan Van Hooydonck, a guest on the show, responded positively. “I hope he gets to work on it soon, but it has to fit into his bigger career picture. He certainly doesn’t have to make any adjustments for us, but I would love to see such a great Belgian champion at the start of the biggest race in Belgium.”

Michel Wuyts added his own perspective, recalling an old encounter with Evenepoel at the E3 Saxo Classic. “He said to one of the organizers: 'I'm here out of interest, but you won't see me at the start, because this is not my thing.' Well, I would like to give him advice now: do it once! Get used to it. Because if you win the Tour of Flanders, you get a much bigger reputation than if you win Liège-Bastogne-Liège. It sounds ridiculous, but that's how it is.”

The debate isn’t new. Former Soudal–Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere hinted last year that Evenepoel could one day line up in Flanders. “I think Remco is a bit of a Flandrien after all. He sometimes trains on these roads. I am sure he will want to ride the Tour one day,” he said in an interview with La Dernière Heure.

There is a caveat. Whilst Pogacar is ‘light’ and ‘small’ for cobbled monuments, Evenepoel is ever smaller. Does he have the power to mix it with the big boys on the cobbles?