"I certainly want to try something" - Evenepoel eyes Tour de France stage win as Visma explain plan for Vingegaard fight against Pogacar
CyclingTuesday, 14 July 2026 at 13:45
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.
Read also
"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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- "If the legs are there and the situation allows it" but Rev the legs are never there against Pogi/Jonas "We finished week one on a good note," Bro Jonas is 3 minutes down and 2 minutes is a comfortable GT winning margin.abstractengineer14-07-2026
- If you ask me, never in the next 20 years in the Tour, no one would win from a breakaway. That's my big wish. No gifts of any kind. Even Usain Bolt didn't give anything to anyone. PS: I think if Baby Hulk eats a Big Mac here and there, he'll still be beating Jonas. :))mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales14-07-2026
- So, if you don't want Vingegaard to win, all you have to do is eat burgers every day?
Rafionain-Glas14-07-2026 - How do you put Enric Mas on the list of challengers and forget Felix Gall?Rafionain-Glas14-07-2026
- The chance that Vingegaard wins a race from 2024-2030... (and I'm not talking about individual stages, but any world tour race overall) when Pogačar is on the starting list is equal to my chance to break Usain Bolt's record in 100 m of 9.58. There is no difference, believe me, the chances are identical for both.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales14-07-2026
- I'll never not be convinced that UAE aren't on something...
leedorney14-07-2026 - 😁leedorney14-07-2026
- Thanks Thomas may i suggest you tell other teams how to ride or perhaps give the special stuff to help that you used to be in the peleton may make them go faster or give them Dutch courage 🤣🤣🤣paultryan200214-07-2026
- Well, if you look at past winners, the percentage is pretty shocking and from having learnt about human nature, I’d find it VERY hard to believe suddenly everyone (especially people wanting/needing money) has lost interest in discovering new enhancement products and selling them. Now, apart from suspicion, what else happened each time in the past when something undetectable was introduced? Exactly, nothing.Jumpyjohn14-07-2026
- Pretty good points Some more, 90% of the sport watching population has their main vacation time around July/August, it is why almost ALL major sports events (except ice/snow dependant obviously) have been, are, want and will be programmed then. Hardly anyone will take time to follow a Tour around during work time and if the stages take place during work hours, no media is going to pay top dollar for the privilege of live coverage. Now, if somebody would like to remind the likes of Tadej and the Union spokesperson that it’s likely their demands would lead to quite a drastic reduction in rider salaries, I’m not so sure they’ll stay as vocal with their « solutions ». I’m still ride in these temps (it’s actually more refreshing than sitting around outside), alone and without getting paid and certainly no slower than during normal temps (in fact, some days it feels like it’s easier to be fast in these temps) or having serious goals, the hard part is the first couple of days but you quickly get used to it and as long as you adapt hydration and avoid consuming anything nefarious, nothing happens. We’re going to get to the point of telling pro swimmers to stop in heatwaves because there’s an increase in drownings. Speaking of cooling down methods, maybe some of these are as dangerous as the heat itself. Many people drown from the reactions we have to thermal shock, jumping into cold water after being hot. Yet what are teams doing with ice packs and cryobaths? Maybe, again, it’s all about how resilient and experienced individuals are, no scandinavian would worry about sauna/ice bath consequences, but that doesn’t mean everyone should copy them without some initiation? Same with pros, no point to consider their fragilities similarly to the general population.Jumpyjohn14-07-2026
Loading
1 Comments