"On paper, riders from the Tour should be at a bit of a disadvantage, but Remco can always prove me wrong" - Sven Vanthourenhout on Evenepoel's Olympic hopes
Cycling
In 2024, Remco Evenepoel is expected to finally make his hotly-anticipated Tour de France debut. How this will play into his hopes of taking Olympic gold next summer remains to be seen though.
Unlike in Tokyo in 2021, at the Paris Olympic Games next summer, the individual time-trial will take place before the men's elite road race. Given that Evenepoel is the current time-trial world champion, the Belgian will start as one of the favourites for gold but with the race against the clock quickly following the Tour de France, a big question is will he still be at top level?
“Past experience tells me that riders who came from a Grand Tour often did well in the road race at the World Cup or the Olympic Games and then fell one percent short in the time trial," analyses Belgian national coach, Sven Vanthourenhout in conversation with Wielerflits. "Just look at Wout van Aert in Tokyo (then after the Tour) and Evenepoel in Wollongong (after the Vuelta). That opportunity also exists here.”
Despite this recent history, Evenepoel is still very much in with a shout. “Remco always comes from a Grand Tour at a very high level. He knows very well what he is doing and I am the last to question his preparation," Vanthourenhout concludes. "On paper, riders from the Tour should be at a bit of a disadvantage for the time trial, but Remco can always prove me wrong and can combine the two perfectly.”
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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- Well, this is something which isn't all that common
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - He lives in MonacoRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- It's also highly significant for Lorenzo Finn as he won there last year. Also Mateo Ramírez and Henrique Bravo if they goRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- This is a phenomenal course design. I do wish that they'd stretch these tours for the women to at least 2 weeks.RidesHills03-11-2026
- This is an amazing route, honestly. Let's hope that it attracts riders to make it a compelling and competitive race. Side bar amusement: going to Slovenia and passing pretty close to Pogačar's house. I wonder if they were tempting him to get all 3 jerseys at once after winning the Tour and Vuelta. After all, only a very few have ever had all three at the same time (Froome being the last).RidesHills03-11-2026
- He was a child two years agoRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- A great route aswell. Col d'Arpy is a toughieRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- Let Torito have a shot at itRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- A great route, much more exciting than the Tour de France. Monte Livata is an interesting one, because they experimented with it at the 2026 Baby Giro, and it was fantastic. 4 km at 10%, then 10 km at 6.5% made for a great spectacle. The stage 16 is horrible. Montaner is also used in the U23s, in Giro del BelvedereRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- I remember when Mark went through that. He was really experiencing lows and thought about quiting many times. It took him a long time to recover. I, like many others were overjoyed when he came back. I hope Lafay has been tested. I wish him the best.Paggss03-11-2026
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💪🇧🇪Remco Evenepoel y 🌈Mathieu Van der Poel entrenando juntos en territorio español! #Ciclismo #Cycling #Noticiclismo
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