"I don't believe in Paret-Peintre" - Former pro expects Remco Evenepoel will be isolated in the high mountains at Tour
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel is one of the three main favourites to win the Tour de France this summer, but also the one who has drawn the shortest straw. Even if the Olympic champion reaches a level where he can compete with Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard in the high mountains, the winners of past five editions can still rely on support from their super teams. Not Remco.
His key man in the mountains was projected to be 5th man from last year's Grande Boucle - Mikel Landa, but the Basque climber was for a long time sidelined due to injuries suffered at the Giro d'Italia and in no way will be ready to play a decisive part in the biggest race of the season. Then the duty falls onto the shoulders of Soudal - Quick-Step's third best climber - Valentin Paret-Peintre.
The French climber was originally set to only ride the Giro as the right-hand man of Landa, but after his injury at Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, Paret-Peintre's schedule has been adjusted with Crterium du Dauphiné as his comeback race.
But it's not a stretch to say that he was far from shining in the Tour de France preparation race which did not escape the eye of Dirk De Wolf who already carried out his judgement over the 24-year-old's Tour debut: "I don't believe in Paret-Peintre. There's something wrong if a Frenchman is not good in the Dauphiné," the former pro is harsh in his assessment for Het Nieuwsblad.
Ideally, Paret-Peintre would replace Landa in his role of super-domestique in the mountains, but it seems more than likely that Evenepoel will be out on his own at the Tour: "Last year I heard about Landa: 'He was there, but he didn't have to do anything.' That's the thing of course: he was there. If you see your mate, you're already helped."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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