"I certainly want to try something" - Evenepoel eyes Tour de France stage win as Visma explain plan for Vingegaard fight against Pogacar
Cycling
The Tour de France bursts into its second week with a Bastille Day cracker in Massif Central on Tuesday. With almost 4,000 meters of climbing and scorching temperatures, fans are eager to see a big general classification battle and even a breakaway fight on stage 10.
One rider certainly not hoping for the breakaway to take the spoils is Remco Evenepoel. The Red Bull - BORA Hansgrohe rider finds himself well within the podium battle and has demonstrated that he's in strong shape, similar to his 2024 performances at La Grand Boucle.
And memories of two years ago will come to the fore for Evenepoel, with the stage mirroring stage 11 of the race and perhaps reminding leader Tadej Pogacar of Jonas Vingegaard's sprint win as the pair went to the line together.
Evenepoel was 25 seconds behind that day, and definitively the third best rider across that edition. The Belgian knows the stage and finish well and thinks that he could have a pop at victory if the opportunity arises.
"It is a finish I know well, with some tough climbs in the finale that aren't the longest," Evenepoel told HLN.
Evenepoel plots an attack
"If the legs are there and the situation allows it, I certainly want to try something. In any case, it will be an important day for the general classification. On paper, this is the second tough stage of the Tour. It’s hard work after the rest day."
For Visma | Lease a Bike and Vingegaard, their focus is unchanged despite trailing Pogacar by 2:42 in the general classification. Pointing to past editions where the Dane has rode into Pogacar's yellow jersey, they won't give up the fight.
"We finished week one on a good note," Sports Director Marc Reef said.
Pointing to stage 10, the Dutch team hope that they can begin to claw back the deficit on Tuesday, with short but tough climbs the terrain on the menu for the bunch.
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"Today will be an important stage with an eye on the general classification. We are currently behind, and Jonas has shown before that he can fight back from such a position. That is what we are going to do over the next two weeks."
Meanwhile, Pogacar hinted that he and UAE Team Emirates - XRG could target the win, but remained tight lipped on exactly how they plan to attack the stage.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Congrats! It is done so now is time for CX.averagecyclist15-11-2026
- It's going to happen at some point. It will happen to Tadej as well, we all get older. Jonas was in pretty great form at the tour. I still consider him a top two or three cyclist in the world, until he's not.awp15-11-2026
- mij, I am not so sure of that. I have been on a spine ward at a Denver hospital that had quite a few spinal injuries from mountain biking.BDBigGuy15-11-2026
- Pogi takes care of his teammates in races and training. Tadej Pogačar is widely praised within the cycling peloton for his fair and egalitarian leadership, actively supporting his UAE teammates both on the road during races and behind the scenes at training camps. Rather than acting like an untouchable superstar, he has intense team loyalty by sharing daily chores, giving up personal glory to help domestiques, and publicly praising their sacrifices. Unlike some Grand Tour contenders, like Vingegaard, who occasionally train away from their squads, Pogi consistently attends team training camps alongside his domestiques, making the exact same sacrifices to build friendship. I love how Pogačar shares his teammates-domestiques, either when they succeed or win in races or when they simply just do a good job for him. It has to be a great moral boost for them. And then they work even harder and go even deeper for Pogi. This is teamwork.PogiSloFans15-11-2026
- Yeah, what he said!Lozza15-11-2026
- I’m sure Jasper Philipsen would disagree with you.Lozza15-11-2026
- Article says he was “out for a spin around the town”, implying not off-road.Lozza15-11-2026
- let’s be honest, Alpecin is all about one rider - MVDP. I’m sure he gets whatever he needs, the rest get the scraps.mij15-11-2026
- there are more vicious injuries on a road bike than a mountain bike far and away.mij15-11-2026
- That'll be one crazy rider
Rafionain-Glas15-11-2026
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