"If I win on Saturday..." - Remco Evenepoel believes 'best season yet' is within reach at Il Lombardia
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel is one of cycling's best ever, having achieved victories in Grand Tours, monuments and ever single title ranging from Olympic to national titles. Yet, the Belgian believes 2026 may be his best season ever, if only he is able to win at Il Lombardia this upcoming Saturday.
“I feel pretty good about my first season with Red Bull. The Classics campaign was quite good, but not necessarily at the level I wanted to reach," Evenepoel said in a press conference this Friday afternoon, as reported by Domestique.
Controversially, this spring Evenepoel kept his decision to make a debut at the Tour of Flanders private until the days leading up to the race - with himself and team staff not speaking the truth about the team's actual plans. He was third at the Tour of Flanders and won Amstel Gold Race; after a string of victories in Spain during the early-season.
However, his performance at Liège-Bastogne-Liége, where he was third but very distant from Tadej Pogacar and Paul Seixas climbing-wise, was rather disappointing at the time.
"My form wasn’t at its best there, despite the good results. But afterwards, I had a strong summer, so there is a positive balance. This is definitely one of my better seasons, and if I win on Saturday, this will be my best season yet, especially after my strong Tour. It would be a nice way to finish," he admits.
Evenepoel a major favourite for Il Lombardia
Evenepoel was second at the Tour de France where he won two stages; won the Clásica San Sebastián, the GP de Québec, the world time trial title and European championships road race this past weekend. It ranks as a very impressive season which could be topped by Il Lombardia - where he will take to the start this Saturday as one of the big favourites.
Unlike the World Championships, he doesn't expect a tactical race in the base of the Alps. “No, I think tomorrow will be different. I think the Montreal circuit is a very special race even without being a World Championships, and then the way the race developed was pretty crazy".
The Belgian, 12th in Montréal, recalls the World Championships and compares it with this Sunday's race in which the competition will be rather similar: “I think the French went quite crazy from the first lap on, so before we went into the true final, everybody was already cooked. I think tomorrow will be completely different. The only thing is that some teams will think that they have an opportunity to make the race harder from a certain point".
Remcoe Evenepoel has since overcame the disappointment of the World Championships road race
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe will be one of the team's who might gamble from early on, with Primoz Roglic, Giulio Pellizzari and Jai Hindley as riders who can attack the race or mold it in favour of Evenepoel. The Belgian himself may want to attack early, before the climb to Civiglio where the best are expected to attack.
“But I think in general, the way of racing tomorrow will not be completely different than how in other years. The only thing now is that we are racing for first place and not for second. I think that will be the biggest difference tomorrow…”
Back in 2020, Evenepoel crashed down a ravine and suffered a fractured pelvis. He has since returned to it and finished second on both past editions; however he believes that winning it would be the perfect ending to his story with the Italian monument.
“The crash isn’t my head anymore, that’s clear. But a win here would finish that story totally," he added.
Evenepoel already scheduled for 2027 preparations
After Il Lombardia, Evenepoel will still race the Chrono des Nations, where he will continue to show his successfully defended rainbow jersey. Afterwards, he will make the trip to the United States where he will pay a visit to Specialized's headquarters and work on his aerodynamical position.
“Obviously in my two weeks off, I can really switch off completely and if anyone from the team is texting me or calling me, I will not answer,” he joked.
“I think they know this, because it’s pretty deserved to have two or three weeks without anything. But once it starts again, I always commit completely to whatever is being said to me – and then then we go again for the usual stuff.”
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)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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