“It would surprise me if Remco never rode the Tour of Flanders” – Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe boss opens door to Evenepoel’s Classics future

For now, the Tour of Flanders remains off Remco Evenepoel’s calendar. But the idea that he might never race Belgium’s biggest one-day event has been firmly rejected by his new boss at Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe.

Speaking to Sporza, team manager Sven Vanthourenhout made clear that the door is not closed forever, even if it is firmly shut for 2026. “I rule nothing out for the future,” he said, setting the tone for a conversation that was as much about patience as it was about planning.

That message will land heavily with Flemish fans who had allowed themselves a flicker of hope when Evenepoel was spotted training in the Flemish Ardennes shortly before New Year. With the world time trial champion now preparing for his first season at Red Bull, every move is being read as a clue to what kind of rider he wants to be in the years ahead. Those training images, though, were never meant to hint at a secret spring ambition.

Vanthourenhout explained to Sporza: “We were working with Gianni Vermeersch in the Flemish Ardennes to test equipment. For us as a team, that is also a reconnaissance.” He added that the link between the two riders was more about personalities than race plans: “Gianni brings a certain dynamic to the team. He also gets on well with Remco and they sought each other out. There really wasn’t anything more to read into it.”

So the reality is simple. Evenepoel will not ride the Tour of Flanders in 2026.

His provisional programme points clearly in a different direction. Early season stage racing in Spain, followed by Catalunya, then a selective spring built around Amstel Gold Race and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, before a full focus on the Tour de France and the World Championships later in the year.

That structure reflects what Evenepoel has become. A rider built around stage racing, time trials and selective classics rather than the chaotic, cobbled warfare of Flanders. Since turning professional, his most notable achievements have come through long-range dominance and stage race control. Vuelta winner in 2022, double Liege champion, Olympic road race and time trial gold in 2024, Tour de France podium on debut, and three straight world time trial titles. His career has been shaped by distance, rhythm and power.

Red Bull have inherited a rider with huge ambitions in July, not one being reshaped for April.

Yet Vanthourenhout was careful not to frame that identity as permanent. Looking beyond this season, he told Sporza: “His programme is known, but I rule nothing out for the future. I’m not talking about 2026, but it would surprise me if he never rode the Tour of Flanders during his career.”

That line matters because Evenepoel has already shown he is willing to rewrite what a Belgian champion is supposed to look like. He won a Grand Tour before riding a Monument on home roads. He became a world champion before ever starting Flanders. His path has never followed tradition, which is exactly why the question persists.

For now, Evenepoel’s story is being written around Tours, world titles and long-range dominance. But in Belgium, there is always one question that never really goes away. Not whether he can win Flanders, but whether he will ever choose to try.

According to the man now shaping his career at Red Bull, the answer is not no. It is simply not yet.