“Not sure we’ll make it” – Remco Evenepoel stranded on Teide as key Tour de France test and Vingegaard showdown hangs in the balance
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel’s carefully structured build towards the 2026 Tour de France has hit an unexpected and potentially significant disruption, with the Belgian currently stranded on Mount Teide following heavy snowfall that has cut off access to and from his altitude camp.
The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe rider had been finalising a key training block in Tenerife ahead of the Volta a Catalunya, a race widely viewed as his first real climbing benchmark of the season. Instead, uncertainty now surrounds whether he will even make it to the start line.
That uncertainty was laid bare in a series of Instagram stories posted by his wife, Oumi, who is with him at the camp. “Not sure we’ll make it,” she wrote, as the couple remained stuck for a second consecutive day. In a follow-up, she added: “We’re stuck up on Teide for the 2nd day because of the snow… no one can go up or down.”
With roads blocked on the volcano and no clear route to the airport, Evenepoel’s travel plans have been thrown into doubt at precisely the wrong moment in his early-season programme.
A crucial test under threat
The timing of the disruption is what elevates this beyond a simple travel issue.
The Volta a Catalunya was not just another stage race on Evenepoel’s calendar. Featuring multiple summit finishes in the Pyrenees, it was set to provide the clearest indication yet of where his climbing level stands in 2026. It also offered the prospect of a direct head-to-head with Jonas Vingegaard, one of the defining GC references in the peloton.
That combination made Catalunya a pivotal checkpoint in Evenepoel’s evolution as a Tour contender. After a winter focused on structure, efficiency and long-term development within his new Red Bull setup, this was the moment to measure progress in terrain that has previously exposed his limits. Now, that opportunity is at risk of slipping away before it even begins.
UAE Tour left questions unanswered
The importance of Catalunya has only grown in light of Evenepoel’s most recent outing.
At the UAE Tour, he delivered a familiar display of dominance in the time trial, taking control of the race early and underlining once again his status as one of the sport’s most powerful riders against the clock.
But the narrative shifted sharply in the mountains. On the decisive climb, he was distanced and lost significant time, later acknowledging, “I can’t make excuses.”
For a rider whose Tour ambitions hinge on matching the very best in sustained climbing efforts, that performance left a clear and unavoidable question: has the gap truly been closed? Catalunya was set up as the first meaningful attempt to answer it.
Red Bull project meets unexpected disruption
Evenepoel’s move to Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe was built around one central objective: turning potential into a complete Tour de France challenge.
That shift has brought a more controlled, team-driven approach to his racing, with altitude camps and carefully selected stage races forming part of a long term plan rather than isolated targets. The Teide training block was a key piece of that structure, designed to build endurance and sharpen his climbing ahead of a critical phase of the season.
Instead, the situation has underlined how quickly even the most meticulously planned programme can be thrown off course. Snowfall at altitude camps is not unheard of, but the severity of the current conditions and the complete closure of access roads represent a rare and disruptive scenario.
Whether Evenepoel ultimately makes it to Catalunya or is forced to adjust his schedule, the episode introduces an element of uncertainty into what had been a controlled and deliberate start to his 2026 campaign.
And with his first true mountain test of the season hanging in the balance, the wider question of where he stands ahead of the Tour may have to wait a little longer to be answered.
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.
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- He's not going to win the TdF. Maybe if they make every single stage a TT he could win. But I still believe Tadej would just sharpen his TT skills and win.mij04-11-2026
- You beat me to it. Should he make a full recovery (likely) and go light early in the year. One, two, three. Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Should he be on a Feel-Like-He's-Fixin'-to-Die High.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- The deciding factor may be the (TBD) number of (any type of) kilometers without Pogacar.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- Unexplained chronic fatigue is an all too common bitch. The hard to find definitive answer may lie buried in gut mechanisms. A mystery of the deep.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- It's weird to say Evenepoel would be making a "serious mistake by adding the 2027 Giro d'Italia to his calendar, warning that such a decision could even be interpreted as a lack of confidence in his ability to win the Tour de France." It may well be a mistake but with so many commentators (of all sorts) continuously claiming almost everything Remco does as being a mistake, almost nobody should care what the pundits and the disparagers should say. His team may not want him to do the Giro, and that matters. But it's possibly or probably up to Remco to decide and it may not have to be decided on until a month or so ahead of the race. Yes , Remco is inconsistent much like the majority of the best riders but he's enjoying a period of not having been recently injured (or sick). Whatever he does he need not be concerned with critics who will second guess any perceived failure no matter what. I suspect he will have enough other races on his schedule so he won't be considering it. But the worst reason to not race it is because of what some will say - humorous that be.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- I'll say clean sweep all grand tourZamorano04-11-2026
- And the place he calls home is in Slovenia with his parents.RidesHills04-11-2026
- I think Tadej will be working on his new C7 TT position for the Tour de France :-)frieders304-11-2026
- Every great cyclist has at least two Giro/Tour doubles, and in modern cycling or what we call modern cycling, Miguel Indurain is the only guy to do it twice. I think Tadej should go for it and commit if he is putting up good numbers somewhere around January/February.awp04-11-2026
- the 6th TDF is a more record breaking opportunity than a 2nd Giro. Jonas can double up. For Remco its TDF. For Sexias it will be a good opportunity but as usual TDF will be his main goal For del Toro, yes good opportunityabstractengineer04-11-2026
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