“I hadn't fully digested those first races… I was also a bit ill” - Remco Evenepoel looks for answers as UAE Tour disappointment continues on Jebel Hafeet

For the second time this week at the UAE Tour 2026, Remco Evenepoel was forced to explain rather than celebrate.

Dropped again on the decisive slopes of Jebel Hafeet, the Belgian admitted in a post-stage interview with VTM Nieuws that his level in the mountains simply was not where it needed to be.

With four kilometres remaining, Evenepoel had to let the main contenders ride away, echoing his earlier time loss on Jebel Mobrah a few days earlier. The sensation, he said, was slightly better than midweek. The conclusion, however, was similar. “It was not my best week.”

Evenepoel had already begun analysing the situation after his first mountain setback, when he revealed that “The air conditioning in my room wasn’t working. It was very warm. But that’s been fixed now.”

At the time, he stressed there was no need for panic and described it as one factor among several.

Three days later, the reasoning broadened. “I did not reach the level to compete for the wins in both mountain stages. It turns out that I had not fully digested those first races. I was also a bit ill - just a cold. But that is not an excuse.”

The contrast of his week remains striking. He delivered a strong time trial earlier in the race, yet struggled to replicate that sharpness on the long climbs. “I rode a good time trial here on Tuesday, but I did not recover well from it.”

Rather than offering one single explanation, Evenepoel has gradually built a picture of fatigue, recovery issues and disrupted preparation. The tone has stayed measured throughout. “We don’t need to panic. I’ve raced a lot already, and this is a process towards Catalunya and the Ardennes. Just stay calm and keep going. It will be fine.”

With overall ambitions now gone, attention shifts to what comes next. A short rest period will be followed by altitude training in Tenerife ahead of the Volta a Catalunya. “I always come back well after an altitude camp. I also want to gradually lose a bit of weight. In Catalunya, which is a big goal, I will be at a different level.”

The UAE Tour has not delivered the mountain performance he wanted. But if this week has shown anything, it is that Evenepoel is already dissecting it piece by piece.

The answers, he believes, will come soon enough.