"In weight, for example, Remco is not yet at Tour level now" - Work to do for Evenepoel according to Patrick Lefevere
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel was very obvious about his ambitions ahead of the 2024 Criterium du Dauphine. After taking the Maillot Jaune with a thunderous time-trial performance however, it seemed like the Belgian had merely been playing mind games. After losing the race lead to Primoz Roglic on the summit finish of stage 6 though, there is clearly still work to be done.
"His time trial was rock solid on Wednesday. The climbing performance to Le Collet d'Allevard was solid without question. Remco's level is as I estimated beforehand," analyses Soudal - Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere in his column for Het Nieuwsblad. "Before the start of the Dauphiné, Remco rather emphatically applied for the role of underdog. Statements like ‘maybe I will be a domestique for Mikel Landa and Ilan Van Wilder’ are not something we are used to from him. That was perhaps a bit exaggerated, but it was also not without foundation."
With a much anticipated Tour de France debut on the horizon however, Lefevere understands that Evenepoel isn't at his top level just yet. Especially as he is only in his first race back from that horror Itzulia Basque Country crash. "He was not the best in the team in the first days and for him that is an uncomfortable sensation. A situation that doesn't happen very often," writes the team boss. "That he is still a bit behind in the Dauphiné uphill is therefore only natural."
"Before the Dauphiné, I already told all the journalists: our riders have to be top at the end of June at the start of the Tour. Should Remco already be at his best level now, we have a problem. He would then have to stretch that for another six weeks," Lefevere continues. "In weight, for example, Remco is not yet at Tour level now. Another kilo or a kilo and a half has to come off, which usually goes smoothly with him. After the Dauphiné, the Tour team will go on another stage to Isola 2000. There we will work on the last percentages."
On the Tour de France, Lefevere also believes he has spotted BORA - hansgrohe practicing their Grand Tour tactics. "The one-two punch between Aleksandr Vlasov and Primoz Roglic is something they are obviously going to try in the Tour too," concludes the Belgian.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Suffering through the process. The hard work continues. Thanks to my teammates to guide me through the day.🐺💙
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