“I'll take it day by day and then we'll see where I end up”: Remco Evenepoel remains confident in his Tour de France preparation despite late withdrawal from the Belgian Nationals

Remco Evenepoel seems to be satisfied with his preparation for the Tour de France despite confirming he will not compete at the Belgian National Championships this weekend. Speaking from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe’s altitude camp in Haute-Savoie, the Belgian insisted he feels physically strong after two months without racing, having reached his target Tour weight without sacrificing power.

Before the media session began, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe press officer Gabriele Uboldi confirmed that Evenepoel would not start Sunday's Belgian road race championship.

“Guys, let us say that Remco does not feel in the right condition to take part. The team will soon come with a better explanation, but this way I can already save you a lot of questions about this rather complicated and… strange subject.”

A medical certificate is expected to formally justify his absence, preventing the automatic nine-day suspension that could otherwise jeopardise his participation in the Tour de France. Despite the withdrawal, Evenepoel made clear there are no concerns regarding his overall health.

Evenepoel followed the recent preparation races closely from home, including the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the Baloise Belgium Tour and the Tour de Suisse, where Tadej Pogacar once again dominated as usual. “Impressive, of course. But that's no longer a surprise,” Evenepoel said.

He admitted one aspect of Pogacar's performances has stood out to him. “What I find a bit unfortunate is that the moment he attacks, there's no battle behind him anymore. Nobody even tries to follow. Of course, you also have to be capable of doing it. If the pace is simply too high, then there's nothing you can do.”

However, Evenepoel refused to draw major conclusions from those performances before the Tour. “There's still a period between those races and the Tour. And there, as every year, everything starts from zero again.”

Evenepoel also welcomed the announcement of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe's Tour de France lineup, which includes Florian Lipowitz, Jai Hindley, Maxim Van Gils, Nico Denz, Tim van Dijke, Jan Tratnik, Mattia Cattaneo and of course Evenepoel himself. “It's a strong and well-balanced team.”

He confirmed he was consulted during the selection process. “I had my say, but in the end the team made the final decision. For the eighth place they preferred Nico Denz over Gianni Vermeersch.”

“There are the pure climbers and the strong rouleurs, with Tratnik and Cattaneo somewhere in between. Van Gils and Hindley will be extremely important in the mountains. Jai came out of the Giro in excellent condition, while Maxim passed his final test brilliantly at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.”

The Tour opens with a team time trial in Barcelona, a stage that Evenepoel believes presents an immediate opportunity for both victory and the yellow jersey. “We've worked very hard on it during our altitude camp in Sierra Nevada together with the staff. We'll also do another short team time trial session once we're in Barcelona, where everyone's roles will be clearly defined.”

Asked whether wearing yellow is an objective, Evenepoel preferred to describe it differently. “It's a dream. But many riders share that dream and have worked extremely hard for it with their teams. We have to focus on our own strengths and first of all see it as an opportunity to win the stage.”

Under the 2026 Tour regulations, every rider will receive his own finishing time in the opening team time trial, making the order across the line significant for the general classification.

“It will be important for both Florian and me to climb that final uphill kilometre as fast as possible and gain as much time as we can. Full gas all the way to the finish, without hesitation or holding back. The key for both Florian and me is to stay on each other's wheel. Whoever crosses the line first will take the yellow jersey.”

Finally, Evenepoel rejected suggestions that only four riders can realistically fight for the Tour podium. “There are definitely more than that. You can easily start the Tour with ten contenders and after only one week there may only be four left. That's how the Tour works. It's a survival of the fittest over three fascinating weeks.”

As for his own ambitions, the Belgian is keeping his approach simple. “I'll take it day by day and then we'll see where I end up.”