"I studied well for today's stage" - Both Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel fancy their chances as Tour de France mountains return
CyclingSaturday, 18 July 2026 at 13:50
Both Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel have come out bullish about their chances as the Tour de France returns to the mountains for stage 14. Finish in Le Markstein, the peloton face a gruelling stage with multiple steep climbs.
However, while both second and third place in the yellow jersey race, they have to contend with the prospect of Tadej Pogacar - who will inevitably also feel at home as the road leans uphill.
Before the stage, with temperatures dropping in recent days even if the pace has increased on sprint and breakaway stages, Vingegaard was positive. The Visma | Lease a Bike leader finds himself at 3:36 adrift from Pogacar but hopes the change of terrain can help his chances.
"The final climb today should suit me. It is a bit steeper and longer, so it is the first time we are riding on that kind of terrain," he said to Danish TV2 before the start.
"I expect it to be a very tough stage. It will be a real general classification day – both today and tomorrow. We need to be ready for a tough battle."
Evenepoel has reconned stage 14 of Tour de France
Meanwhile, Evenepoel is banking on the fact that he did his homework as a factor that makes him confident he can take a positive result and move up in the standings. He sits 30 seconds behind Vingegaard and 4:06 down on Pogacar.
"I studied well for today's stage, I have a good feeling in my legs, and I am recovering quickly: hopefully, it will be a great day," Evenepoel told VTM Nieuws.
Red Bull - BORA Hansgrohe are hoping to use Evenepoel's strengths paired with Florian Lipowitz to really make use of their dual leadership resources as sports director Klaas Lodewyck revealed a plan to potentially use the German rider's ability.
"We got through the recent stages well and put some strain on our legs yesterday. We also rode up the Ballon d'Alsace in that way, so we know what to expect. I think we are ready for it," Lodewyck said.
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He added: "We received positive signals from Remco and 'Lipo', so we are starting today with confidence. Purely theoretically, the stage might be slightly more suited to Remco, but tactically speaking, we might be able to try something with Lipowitz.
"Although it will be man-to-man on the final climb, so we will have to wait and see regardless."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- I would like to see a Mathieu vs Mads showdown on stage 17, like we've had at Gent-Wevelgem. And then on stage 21 Pogačar can join in and why not Remco too.
Rafionain-Glas18-07-2026 - All valid points. Only problem is, everyone else looks more worn out (except Florian Lipowitz, who hasn't ridden to his fullest in order to protect cry-baby Remco's GC ambitions)Rafionain-Glas18-07-2026
- Armstrong is repulsive. The fact that he doped is bad enough but what really makes him a terrible person is how he attacked some really good people in cycling. Just ask Frankie and Betsy Andrew, Greg LeMond and Emma O'Reilly how he made their lives miserable so he could perpetuate his lie that he was clean. Those are just a few names on the list of people he bullied and/or went after with his lawyers to silence the truth. Even if he hadn’t doped, he is not someone I would ever want to know.
Rggg18-07-2026 - Roglič will fall out of GC, go in the breakaway and get caughtRafionain-Glas18-07-2026
- Answer: He doesn't look himself in the mirror and never has. Have you seen how grimy his face is?Rafionain-Glas18-07-2026
- How can this guy look himself in the mirror? He admitted doping 7 tdf titles and still says he has the record? What a clown. How come he has such visibility and importance in cycling, when he did so bad to the sport? Thousands must have stopped following cycling when this came outLobz7718-07-2026
- Who was gifted what exactly?
Andrew18-07-2026 - Great win for the Aussie team. Brings a bit of life into the race.whit2pet18-07-2026
- They said the same thing last year..
leedorney18-07-2026 - Maybe he has a key role in the plan for the third week that Visma have been talking of.Hills3318-07-2026
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