"Look at Primož… He has won every race he started this year" - Remco Evenepoel evaluates his Vuelta competition
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel's defence of his Vuelta a Espana looks like being a real challenge given the immense level of competition in this year's race. Speaking at a press conference, Evenepoel evaluated his rivals.
When asked for who he feels the best rider in the peloton is currently, Evenepoel actually first mentions someone not competing at the Vuelta. “In terms of numbers, I should say Pogačar. What does he have? Ninety victories this season? One hundred and fifty?” laughs the reigning champion of the Spanish Grand Tour. “No, I think there are sixteen. In terms of results, I always have to say Tadej."
“Now look at Primož… He has won every race he started this year. With the exception of the Vuelta a Burgos, these were all World Tour races," Evenepoel says of arguably his main rival, Primoz Roglic. "When you talk about regularity, you should always say Roglič."
Roglic's Jumbo-Visma teammate, Jonas Vingegaard is again, another of the hot favourites for the Red Jersey at the Vuelta a Espana. "Jonas Vingegaard wins the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Tour de France," says Evenepoel. "Everyone is impressive in their own way."
There's one man who has stood out more than anyone else in the eyes of Evenepoel throughout 2023 however. "But if you look at the quality of the wins, I would say Mathieu van der Poel. Two monuments, world champion, second in the Tour of Flanders and the E3 Saxo Classic… That is phenomenal!” He praises. "For me Mathieu is the most impressive this year. After me, of course.”
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - 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
Loading
Write a comment