“I'm missing a bit” – Remco Evenepoel indicates what he lacks to fight with Pogacar and Vingegaard

Remco Evenepoel may be enjoying a solid Tour de France so far, but he’s not pulling punches when it comes to his rivals. The Belgian, who already owns a stage win from the Stage 5 time trial, questioned the tactical playbook of Team Visma | Lease a Bike, indicating that their approach is predictable.

Speaking to Wielerflits, Evenepoel was candid in his assessment. “Honestly? No idea. I think they're racing the way they always want to. They have four very strong riders for the GC and on the climbs. But what they did on the stage to Puy de Sancy was predictable… They've been using the same tactics for years, so that's not surprising anymore.”

Evenepoel referenced the role of Matteo Jorgenson, who’s been riding high in the general classification, much like last year.

“Jorgenson is part of their tactics. But we saw that last year too. Then he was high in the GC for a long time, until the mountain stages started. At one point, he had to work too hard for Jonas. But now they have a more balanced team with Sepp Kuss and Simon Yates. We'll see what that brings. I think I can keep Jorgenson behind me.”

After a long transfer to Toulouse, Evenepoel admitted he was happy to skip the podium duties and get an early jump on recovery.

“I just had the luxury of losing the white jersey and not having to go on stage for the ceremony… I had a quick shower and jumped in the car. I arrived at the hotel around 9:15 PM… This morning I slept in until 9:15 AM, so I really enjoyed it.”

Evenepoel sits in between the two dominant figures in this Tour, Pogačar and Vingegaard, and admits the opening stage put him on the back foot.

“Tadej Pogačar is a bit further ahead than I expected… That first stage was a bit tough. We weren't quite sharp. But I think we recovered well with the team after that.”

His maturity has been a noticeable shift in the last two years, ever since his debut Tour in 2024 where he finished third.

“That experience helps me enormously… Last year, I panicked after losing 39 seconds on the first day. Now I was able to immediately turn things around… I'm staying calmer now. A lot can happen in the Tour.”

But Evenepoel acknowledges he’s not at full capacity after an injury-riddled offseason.

“I'm missing a bit of that final punch… You saw that in Rouen, you saw it at Mûr-de-Bretagne, and also on Monday at Puy de Sancy… At the moment, everything looks pretty good. But we'll have to see what it's worth when we get into the mountains.”

With UAE and Visma going toe-to-toe nearly every day, Evenepoel is cautiously watching from behind.

“I don’t know either, to be honest. They attack each other all the time… At some point, they’re going to break down. The tactics they used a few years ago with Primož Roglič and Jonas against Tadej, they’re doing exactly the same now.”

He’s clear on who he’s targeting. “I'm specifically looking at Pogačar and Vingegaard. I want to battle with them in the future to win the Tour… For me, it's important to hang with Tadej and Jonas for as long as possible. And that I try to ride tactically smart.”

With the toughest climbing stages still ahead, Evenepoel is sticking to a measured strategy.

“The Tour is still long. We're halfway there, but not in terms of the elevation gain… I'm taking it one day at a time; I hope it all works out well.”