"It’s the first time we’ve seen him go toe-to-toe with the best" - Remco Evenepoel's victory lights fire in Belgian fans' hearts
CyclingMonday, 20 July 2026 at 23:00
Remco Evenepoel’s spectacular victory on stage 15 of the 2026 Tour de France has sparked intense debate over whether Tadej Pogacar truly contested the final sprint or let the Belgian take the win. A theory Roxane Knetemann flatly rejects.
The former Dutch rider believes the doubts after the finale come from overthinking the race and defends the merit of the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider, who won at high altitude after matching the best climbers’ pace.
On the In de Waaier podcast, journalists Daniël Dwarswaard and Niek Goedvolk floated the idea that Pogacar might not have emptied the tank in the sprint, having worked all day for teammate Isaac del Toro.
Knetemann, however, completely dismissed that reading. “I think that’s a typically Dutch mindset. We’re watching a great finale and a worthy winner fighting for what he deserves. Because we’re not used to seeing Pogacar beaten, we quickly assume he let the win slip.”
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The Dutchwoman did concede she expected a more aggressive approach from UAE Team Emirates - XRG on the final climb.
“I was a bit disappointed that UAE didn’t launch an attack. Del Toro accelerated and Evenepoel responded. I thought Pogacar would go then, but he didn’t.”
Even so, she finds it excessive to suggest the Slovenian gifted the victory. “Maybe he didn’t want to win at all costs, but I think that’s splitting hairs. We’ve said it many times: Pogacar doesn’t hold grudges.”
Remco Evenepoel celebrates stage 15 of the Tour de France 2026.
Evenepoel’s win ended a long run of Pogačar dominance in the Tour’s big mountain stages, as the Slovenian had not lost a summit finish of this type since Le Lioran 2024.
Knetemann admits it’s impossible to know whether the Tour leader could have won the sprint.
“I wonder that too. What would be the difference between gifting the win to Evenepoel now and not doing so for another rider?”
Some analysts suggested Pogacar might have eased for various reasons, such as Jonas Vingegaard’s earlier crash or a wish to keep good relations with Evenepoel, though none of these hypotheses has been confirmed.
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Beyond the sprint debate, Knetemann highlighted the Olympic champion’s huge performance on Plateau de Solaison. “It’s the first time we’ve seen him go toe-to-toe with the peloton’s best riders.”
The analyst recalled that in previous big mountain days Evenepoel had always lost a few metres before clawing back ground thanks to his pacing.
This time, however, the Belgian stayed with the main favourites from the outset. “He doesn’t flinch! This is the best Evenepoel we’ve seen at this Tour. How unusual!”
Knetemann also ruled out the final climb’s profile as the sole explanation for the Belgian’s improvement. “There really isn’t an explanation. He said he’d done twenty training blocks on that climb, but we also know all these riders recon the course thoroughly.”
For the Dutchwoman, the real difference was how Evenepoel looked on the bike. “I’d never seen the Evenepoel we saw today, glued to Pogacar’s wheel.”
His display strengthens the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe leader’s ambitions for the Tour’s third week, where he will aim to cement his place among the GC elite and prove he can go head-to-head with the sport’s dominant figures.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- vaughters is right it adds credibility if the riders pass the tests. record speeds in record heat doesn't add credibility. beating your own time up tourmalet by 2.5 minutes from 3 years ago doesn't add credibility.whkman21-07-2026
- It's good to read a calm, sensible comment for a change. Unlike many of the usual contributors here, who just post heated nonsense and blindly affirm or deny things like true believers.hb5012521-07-2026
- Kudos to Mom & Dad.
Front24221-07-2026 - I know... I'm being sarcastic. I want nothing to happen to Paul. I think he's a nice guy.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales21-07-2026
- Maybe wait until he reaches the podium or rides away from the others? You don’t think he’s been tested ever? It’s taken 8 years at the top for these two and now Remco to get an unexpected call, Tadej also didn’t get any when he was young and outperforming peers.Jumpyjohn21-07-2026
- Pretty silly and dangerous. One unexpected incident and that lead can be wiped out.Jumpyjohn21-07-2026
- We also saw Wout beat Tadej, maybe that was gifted too, and every MVDP win ;-) Maybe he’s signalling to DT he’s retiring soon and he’s got to start raising his level.Jumpyjohn21-07-2026
- Thank you for reminding of some basic facts. Now, despite the ITA needing legal French backing for the go ahead, what are the chances that the request falls on a cycling educated judge? How difficult would it be to convince a non-cycling aficionado there was a case for suspicion? On the one hand we have « experts » telling us the demands of the Tour are getting unbearable, then we have the added load of racing during unbearable weather, ever greater rivalry (also in-house), ever more perfection and fragility. On the other hand we have speed records rising faster than temperatures, stages with plenty of elevation turning into (some of the) fastest while riders moan how hard things are for them (but nobody is asking them who’s actually making them ride so fast, isn’t it of their own accord?). Incidentally, does anyone have the current race average? Would be interesting to compare to this time last year when it was already clear we were heading to a new record. An outsider could only imagine something must be going on.Jumpyjohn21-07-2026
- Hey you ITA clowns, what about Team Decathlon and Paul Seixas? They are a French team with a French very young rider. Isn't it suspicious, that a 19 year old boy is so good. Seixas is up there with the best cyclists, but only a few years ago he was still a young school boy??? I expect you clowns to be in his hotel on friday morning at 2am. That's the first day of Alpe d'Huez.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales21-07-2026
- And what would the team have been able to do to help you survive what was basically a suicide breakaway. Who would have helped you resist being attacked by all the GC hopefuls?Jumpyjohn21-07-2026
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