"I need to stay calm" - Remco Evenepoel ready for World Championships after demolishing victory in Québec
CyclingFriday, 11 September 2026 at 22:01
Remco Evenepoel has won the 2026 GP de Québec, his first race day since the Clásica San Sebastián. The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe rider has shown the same form as in the past few months, riding to a victory despite having been the rider that exposed himself the most.
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe did not have the collective that teams such as UAE Team Emirates - XRG and Lidl-Trek had at the first of the two Canadian one-day races, however his form was on point and his tactical knowhow proved valuable in Québec.
The Olympic Champion was on the attack on several occasions early in the race, trying to break free of a peloton where he was doomed to be outnumbered as the race progressed. In one of his attacks, he was joined by Giulio Ciccone, which proved crucial for his success.
With Lidl-Trek covering attacks behind, the German team ended up helping Evenepoel and Giulio Ciccone's chances of succeeding. But towards the end, Quinn Simmons' chase from behind also provided a trump card for the Italian.
"It was tough, he seemed to be pretty strong as well," Evenepoel said of his rival in a post-race interview. "He was on the lucky side to have a teammate behind, so he could stay in the wheels a bit more".
The winning move by Evenepoel
Having caught all the early attackers, only Anthon Charmig followed the two into the final lap. On the final ascent of the Côte de la Montagne, which maxed out at 17%, Evenepoel's attack was enough to make it a two-up sprint.
He led the entire final kilometers, at his pace, betting on his sprint. "I had confidence in my sprint as well. So I gambled a bit to start from the front, with the headwind it was difficult, but once he tried to come over he also felt the wind on the face and I managed to keep my advantage, so I'm super happy".
Remco Evenepoel won the 2026 GP de Québec
A big test ahead for the Olympic Champion
Evenepoel managed to gather an important win for his palmarès, but above all, prove that his form is very high. The GP de Montréal this Sunday will be a more accurate test ahead of the World Championships, but a better return to racing wouldn't be feasible.
"Yeah obviously. It's always tough to get back to competition after a while. Also it's a tough race to start with again," he admits.
"I think I need to stay calm and take it day by day because Sunday is another (GP de Montréa, ed.), and then it's next Sunday (time trial world championships, ed.); and then Sunday after (road race world championships, ed.)".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- Also, Michael Matthews. What is it with him and this race? He's never placed worse than 9th, I think, and did terribly today, by his own standards, meaning he finished outside the top 5 for only the 2nd time, at 6th. How does he do this, at this race, when he is so invisible at so many other races? I find this totally fascinating. Good for him!RidesHills11-09-2026
- The past few years, I've been on the ground in Quebec, but I missed it this year. Watching on TV for the new circuit was interesting. Congratulations to Evenepoel on his win, the right strategy and the legs to do it, clinical and excellent. Really superbly done - and he didn't get pissed off along the way, he just took the race apart at just the right time! This is going to be a hell of a world championship. Bummer about Ayuso's crash, I didn't see what happened in detail, but I hope he's ok.RidesHills11-09-2026
- It looked like a camera bike was close in front of Dunbar at one stage too. In general, they have tended to stay too close to riders before .oving off.Hills3311-09-2026
- @wrsty Me too! @Mistermaumau I think you’re taking wrsty’s comment too seriously. It was made completely in jest, just standard fan banter hoping one of the original underdogs (pre-Pogi leaving the Vuelta) pulls it off. It’s not that deep, wrsty is just passionately cheering on Mas. No need to overanalyse it, let him or her have his fun.anonymouscyclist11-09-2026
- The camera motorbike was rdiculously close in front of him all the time of his attack and as soon as Dunbar caught up it pulled away. Why?Quebrantahuesos11-09-2026
- 2nd near miss. Finishing 2:13 behind Jakob Omrzel on Calar Alto does not count
Rafionain-Glas11-09-2026 - A great win by Dunbar. I thought he was done when they caught him after his first solo attempt. To climb like that and so visibly break Buitrago’s mental efforts was amazing to watch. Both of them clearly went beyond what their bodies wanted them to do, with Dunbar coming out on top. Fabulous racing in the breakaway group.RidesHills11-09-2026
- He was almost never one to attack from far away. Back in the day his wins came from sprints near the end of stages, where he could count on getting a time gap and time bonuses. Enough of those and they added up to a solid win. He’s never been one to solo away. Most people don’t. That’s why Pogačar, who can also sprint at the end of a stage like Roglič, is so rare.RidesHills11-09-2026
- This is why Pogi solo wins are still better. You need ~ 2 minutes to win, you dont attack in the last 2 k, you attack at least 10k to go or the previous mountain with satellite riders. Dont make token attacks just for the sake of showing. Roglic has now lost a Giro, TDF and now a Vuelta because he was too conservativeabstractengineer11-09-2026
- there is a certain risk level in cycling that cannot be avoided, but racing reckless and risking other riders' life (health at the least) can certainly be considered mentally ill!Ketterechts11-09-2026
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