“I hope to get answers” – Remco Evenepoel extends Challenge Mallorca programme as Red Bull era begins

What was meant to be a short, controlled return to racing has turned into something more expansive. As Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe begin to put their 2026 season into motion, Remco Evenepoel has decided to extend his Challenge Mallorca programme, adding two extra race days in a move driven as much by instinct as by planning.

Evenepoel had originally been set to ride only Thursday’s Trofeo Ses Salines, using the team time trial to log early-season kilometres with the Tour de France already in mind.

Instead, he will now also line up on Friday at the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana and on Saturday at the Trofeo Andratx, turning what was a single outing into a three-day block of racing.

“That wasn’t the plan, but the weather forecast looks good,” Evenepoel explained to Daniel Benson. “And now that I’m here anyway, I might as well race a bit more than just a 25-minute team time trial.”

The decision reflects a familiar pattern in Evenepoel’s approach. While the initial focus of the week was firmly on the team time trial and its relevance to July, the Belgian has opted to lean into racing rhythm rather than hold back.

“These extra races give me the chance to test myself,” he said. “I’m the type of rider who gets better by racing.”

Mallorca’s terrain has played a role in that thinking. The rolling, punchy nature of the routes offers repeated efforts without the sustained pressure of a major stage race, while Saturday’s Trofeo Andratx–Pollença brings the Puig Major into play, a long climb that allows for a more searching physical check.

“On Saturday you also have the Puig Major, a long climb,” Evenepoel added. “So I find a bit of everything here, and I hope to get answers to the question of how my winter has been.”

Evenepoel’s expanded schedule also dovetails neatly with what is already unfolding elsewhere in the squad. Earlier in the week, Florian Lipowitz described the Challenge Mallorca as the opening step of a shared Tour project, with the team time trial serving as an early rehearsal for the Barcelona Grand Depart. Evenepoel’s choice to add racing days reinforces that sense of momentum rather than caution.

For Red Bull, the emphasis this early in the season is not on results, but on information. The Mallorca block offers answers on form, response to racing, and how key riders feel within the new structure. Evenepoel’s decision to race more, rather than less, fits that philosophy.

There is no sense of urgency or pressure being forced. Instead, this looks like a rider comfortable enough within a new environment to adjust plans on feel alone. If the Red Bull era is meant to be built around confidence, clarity, and momentum, then Evenepoel’s Mallorca extension is a small but telling signal of how that chapter is beginning.