"Maybe Pogacar won't be around in 2 years" - Remco Evenepoel's chances of winning the Tour de France through the eyes of Tadej Pogacar
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel has just won Amstel Gold Race and might be Tadej Pogacar's biggest rival for Liège-Bastogne-Liège this Sunday. However, this does not mean he will be able to match the Slovenian riding uphill; Whilst there has also been a discussion involving three legends of cycling regarding Liège but also his Tour de France ambitions.
"This victory is super important for his confidence. I think it will be difficult to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège with Pogacar in the mix, but he has to believe in it. His form is top-notch and he has the experience, because he has already won it twice," Philippe Gilbert said in words to Sporza.
Evenepoel's former teammate is also a former winner of La Doyenne, a race that over the past few years has been dominated by either Evenepoel or Pogacar. But the the two have not faced off in it whilst in their prime, and we might get that battle for the first time this weekend - with Paul Seixas also being heavily hinted as a favourite.
Can Evenepoel step up for Pogacar and Vingegaard?
On the Grand Tour side of the discussion, the prospects are less positive. Whilst a strong stage-racer, it is not his natural specialty, and Tom Dumoulin argues that whilst at his best level he has been close, beating Tadej Pogacar or even Jonas Vingegaard at their prime may be too hard of a task for him.
"I hope he can take a step up someday, because that is his big dream. Will he be able to do that too? Yes, although it will be very difficult to close the gap on Pogacar and Vingegaard. But those guys will have an off year someday. If Evenepoel is at his best precisely then, he might be able to benefit."
In 2024 the Belgian put in a near perfect Tour de France with consistent and strong climbing performances backing up a race where he avoided any big mishaps; joining his two rivals on the podium and showing that in the future he can realistically win the Grand Boucle - specially as he is the youngest of the three.
But the high mountains are the terrain where he needs to improve, and the terrain where he hasn't yet impressed this year - and will only have the chance to do so at the Tour Auverge - Rhône Alps. "He has all the pieces of the puzzle, except for that one. He is the best at time trials, he has a strong team around him, and he can also handle stages with the character of a one-day race. He just lacks something in the high mountains," 2010 Tour winner Andy Schleck argued.
But the Luxembourger is less positive. "To be honest, I don't think he can win the Tour at the moment. Because he will always face those problems in the high mountains," he argues. However it does not mean that in the future there won't be an opening, or that the races aren't in themselves affected by potential crashes or other related withdrawals.
"A peloton can change. Maybe Pogacar won't be around in 2 years. Who will take over his role then? [Paul] Seixas? He is still a question mark too. You simply cannot guarantee results in sports,. What you can guarantee, however, is that you take the right steps to get there. I do see that in Remco."
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
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