14/07/2024

Jan Bakelants impressed by Remco Evenepoel's climbing performances at the Tour: "This is the best Evenepoel has ever ridden"

When Tadej Pogacar attack on Pla d'Adet, it seemed clear that the battle for the stage will be between the Slovenian and Jonas Vingegaard. However the second rider in GC at the time Remco Evenepoel didn't say his last word yet, as he crawled back to the Dane. Vingegaard's pace proved too hard for the young Belgian, but he was still able to finish third on the day, further cementing his position on the virtual podium.

Jan Bakelants, as an analyst in the cycling talk show Vive le Vélo, shed light on Remco Evenepoel and his performance in the Tour de France. The former rider is positively surprised. "In the Dauphiné, his climbing wasn’t good enough to come and play with. What they’ve accomplished in two weeks is really impressive. This gives me hope for the future. He looks serene, sharp and balanced. We haven’t seen the last of him yet."

VIDEO: Watch as idiot with crisp packet almost derails Tadej Pogacar's stage winning attack on stage 14 of Tour de France

"This is the best Evenepoel has ever ridden," claims Bakelants confidently after seeing his compatriot's performance at Pla d'Adet. "Better than at the Vuelta a Espana in 2022, which he won. I think his climbing times and his values are noticeably higher than in his best period."

The question is: can Evenepoel make more progress as a stage racer in the coming years to ever realistically compete against the likes of Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard? Bakelants has his doubts. "In old cycling, you were kept small until you were 27, but now the riders come over early. They train perfectly from the novices. I hope so for him, but I don’t think there’s much more to come. Your physiological limits are ingrained in your DNA and there’s little you can do about that."

His guest, also a long-time pro, Sep Vanmarcke disagrees that we have seen the best of Remco already. "Evenepoel started late, he still has a few years in reserve. He has improved since his Vuelta victory, so why should it suddenly stop now? It will not improve drastically anymore, but there is always room for improvement."