With such an impressive season behind him, Evenepoel is in
high demand, and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe has been particularly keen on securing
him for their roster.
Ralph Denk, the team manager for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe,
has made no secret of his interest in Evenepoel. This isn’t a recent
development, however, the German team has shown interest in the Belgian prodigy
for years. Since Red Bull joined as a significant financial backer, their
desire to bring Evenepoel into their ranks has only grown stronger.
In a recent interview with
Het Nieuwsblad, Lefevere
expressed his frustration with Denk’s approach to attracting riders under
contract. “Do you know my friend Ralph Denk? He's done the same thing twice: he
offers a contract with very high bonuses, which is not done with riders under
contract,” Lefevere stated. “He did it once four years ago and now again. Last
week I heard that he also visited
Tom Pidcock. Denk, I don't like him.”
As for Evenepoel’s future, his sights are set firmly on the
2025 Tour de France, where he will once again face off against rivals like
Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, and
Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe’s own Primoz
Roglic. Lefevere recognises the significance of Evenepoel competing in the
Tour, noting its substantial impact on media and sponsorship attention. “He can
no longer stay away from France. For himself, but also sponsor-wise. A Tour
with or without Remco, that makes a huge difference for the media. Publicity-wise,
the Tour eats up everything.”
The details of Evenepoel’s race calendar remain undecided,
particularly regarding a possible combination with the Giro d’Italia. Lefevere
is treading carefully when it comes to his input on Evenepoel’s schedule,
saying, “I will not comment on the combination with the Giro. Not so long ago I
said that Remco should ride Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders, but then he
immediately said that he would not do that. I will not interfere with his
program. It has already been discussed at the team days in Turnhout. They will
finally fix it in December.”
With so much at stake, Lefevere faces a critical challenge
in retaining Evenepoel amid intense competition and growing external interest.
The battle to keep Belgium’s brightest cycling talent promises to be one of the
biggest stories of the 2025 season.