“No one expects Remco to win the Tour, but the way he has lost so much time already is troubling" - Jan Bakelants raises the alarm for Evenepoel

Remco Evenepoel was arguably the most likely contender to challenge Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard at the start of the 2025 Tour de France, but after losing 39 on the opening stage, the double Olympic champion has already been placed firmly on the back foot.

Because of this early disappointment for Evenepoel, there are already alarm bells being rung back home in Belgium. For one, ex-pro and former Tour de France stage winner Jan Bakelants is incredibly concerned about his compatriots prospects, despite only 2 stages having been raced so far this Grand Tour.

“No one expects Remco to win the Tour, but it’s the way he has lost so much time already that I find troubling,” Bakelants says with concern in conversation with HLN, noting how Evenepoel either chose not to or was simply unable to contest the stage 2 win with the likes of Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard.

“He doesn’t seem to be feeling himself," continues Bakelants' analysis. "This certainly isn’t the hungry Remco we saw in action at the Belgian Championships last week. There’s still a long way to go in this Tour, but it’s clear he’s stumbled out of the blocks.”