"He won’t be inferior to riders like Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar or Wout van Aert," - Patrick Lefevere backs Remco Evenepoel on Flanders debut

Remco Evenepoel's Tour of Flanders debut has taken the cycling world by storm this week and will be one of the major stories of the spring. The Olympic Champion has prepared throughout the winter for this race and the expectation are high, even from Patrick Lefevere who sees him race alongside the very best.

Lefevere had a say over Evenepoel's schedule for many years at Soudal - Quick-Step, however the 26-year old's debut comes only after he left the team - who currently does not look to have the men to be in contention for a top result.

“I told him for years that he should ride Flanders, but back then he didn’t want to,” the former Belgian manager told Het Laatste Nieuws. “Now maybe there are people around him who have more influence. It seems he has changed his mind and that someone has convinced him.”

'De Ronde' is one of the biggest races in the spring and the Evenepoel factor may bring some unpredictability to a race that has over the past years become a two-man battle between Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar, with the two dominating every edition since 2022.

Whilst Evenepoel is no specialist in the cobbled classics, neither was Tadej Pogacar when he made his debut, and this is a race that has become accessible to climbers and previous non-specialists due to how hard the climbs are ridden from very far.

The one-day race ability of Evenepoel is something that can be applied to Flanders and in normal conditions, Lefevere sees him racing at the same level as the men who race it on a yearly basis.

“He won’t be inferior to riders like Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar or Wout van Aert,” he argues. "Winning is never easy, of course, but if you’re good enough, a lack of experience in Flanders doesn’t necessarily matter.”

Red Bull had a poor spring last year however in 2026 the likes of Tim van Dijke and Gianni Vermeersch have shown impressive form, whilst the team's block has been very strong altogether throughout the main block of cobbled classics.

Lefevere believes that Gianni Vermeersch, already fifth at this year's Strade Bianche and eighth at the E3 Saxo Classic, can be a key component of the Red Bull block due to his positioning expertize.

“With Vermeersch, he has a clever rider alongside him someone who knows how to race and is always there at the right moment. That’s the kind of rider Evenepoel can really benefit from.”

“It’s good news that he’s riding it. Of course I could say he should have done it with us, but I’m not losing sleep over it," he concluded.