"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
Cycling
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.”
A key domestique in Gianni Vermeersch
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.
Ever since signing for Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, Gianni Vermeersch has constantly performed well
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Mmmm would he be making these comments when he was on the richest team when riding. I think not i suspect. If we want money put into the sport we need sponsors who are prepared to put the money in. No disrespect but his team are 2nd or 3rd div in football terms with riders over the hill or 2nd string riders. If i was a sponsor i would be looking at what publicity am i getting back and Tudor really are just making up the numbers really.paultryan200214-11-2026
- I see (elsewhere) that Alaphilippe had more to say than what got relayed in this stub. Me: he was very good early but his latter third trajectory was the pits. His old boss did what he could (huffed and puffed) but Julian couldn't get his greatness back. Sometimes I wonder if crashes that didn't look like much changed the course of the rider.flyer14-11-2026
- I wouldn't classify it as a gift because the nasty consequences of taking it from Sepp would have been great and would persist and he knew it.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. Tratnik's good and Red Bull's better so Tratnik may get what he wants.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. So just saying he wasn't enjoying racing anymore is some kind of explanation? Me saying I don't enjoy his explanation is more explaining than he did.flyer14-11-2026
- Buitrago, was he their best rider in 2026? He's the chief loss for them and Martinez and Tiberi (especially) have to step up or they will be overtaken by Bahrain's younger riders like Omrzel. I'm still somewhat high on Martinez but Tiberi, after showing signs of promise, has fizzled. Bahrain still has a good team but they need to improve and exceed expectations. I'd be happy if Mohoric could manage to return to his better form for maybe one last year at least.flyer14-11-2026
- Hmmm, "... I just gained 30 seconds purely off the bike. Because it's really a big, big improvement compared to the previous bike". Is that marketing for Specialized or serious valid hype, or something in between? Very likely the former.flyer14-11-2026
- Nothing revelatory or controversial. Why do we have to report on Bruyneel's or Armstrong's thinking. It's a shame and enough that the Move's on TV and that people watch it .flyer14-11-2026
- Makes sense that training from home is a big asset or advantage but it's still remarkable that he can put in three quality majors and not pay some heavy price for the exertion. I wish he would have won that tour stage that his crash while leading allowed Carapaz the win. He's a darn good rider and teammate.flyer14-11-2026
- Sounds like we all agree with the over under exaggeration: "The German’s signing does not guarantee that Evenepoel will win the Tour in 2027. "flyer14-11-2026
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