Remco Evenepoel 'certainly not yet in top form' - Belgian dominates early season with "85%" form
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel has started his season at the Challenge Mallorca and 'played' with the competition at the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana and Trofeo Andratx, attacking when he felt like it and achieving comfortable wins in both. At the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana it was a much more competitive field that was facing him, however the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe rider has won both key stages of the race and has soared to the overall win.
"That gives me confidence, and by finishing it off, I give my teammates confidence. We started the season in a really good flow. Hopefully, everyone can maintain that." He's improved on his offensive ability: "That I can attack really hard and maintain that. We've worked on that a lot."
Evenepoel saw the race's time trial get neutralized - where he raced to victory nevertheless - however even in the adverse conditions, he was able to win the GC as the queen stage into Teulada saw the Olympic Champion in great form and dropping the entire competition in the small but steep climb to Puig Llorença.
But this is, according to him, not his best form. "This is still preparation. I think I'm around 85%. I haven't done any altitude training yet and I'm just at my spring weight. I can definitely lose some weight towards the Tour," Evenepoel said in words to Sporza.
It comes as a great sign for the Belgian, who couldn't have kicked off his time with Red Bull any better. Besides the many victories, he has found a team that was able to support him very well, has given freedom to other teammates of his, and also looked incredibly solid even against a UAE that had João Almeida, Brandon McNulty and Marc Soler present.
He's already put in some strong climbing performances, well before the start of the season of both Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. "It's not that I've peaked more than anyone else. I've just completed my training. If I have a good winter, I'm always in pretty good shape quickly. But certainly not yet in top form."
Catalunya a key test
Evenepoel looked to be using these races to work on his form but above all replicate efforts that are to be done in the big races of the season. At the UAE Tour now, he is likely to be the main favourite for overall win, as Jonas Vingegaard pulled out of the race and Isaac del Toro has become the rider to watch.
But "we're not going to get overconfident and just take it one step at a time. I also want to be in good shape to try and win at the UAE Tour. Then comes another period of recovery and another peak in Catalunya." Catalunya, with its several mountain stages, incredibly competitive field and strategic positioning in the calendar, should be Evenepoel's biggest test before the summer.
If no injuries are to change the plans, Evenepoel is set to team up with Florian Lipowitz and lineup up against Vingegaard, Almeida, Mikel Landa, Derek Gee, Felix Gall, Carlos Rodríguez, Enric Mas and Santiago Buitrago - amongst others.
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.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
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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- That sucks for him. I've always wondered what guys like him do after retiring from cycling - go back to uni? He's still a very young manCrashjames03-11-2026
- Good Point, I wonder if he's been testedmhfrvz03-11-2026
- A busy boy!Lozza03-11-2026
- I hope 2027 is his year.mij03-11-2026
- why does he have to? many GT riders from Froome to Contador to Indurain didn't do them.mij03-11-2026
- I think Jonas would have lost the TDF by 4+ minutes (at the least) and might not have even been in the top 3. Too much talent in the younger riders to say anyone not named Pogačar would have been top 3md197503-11-2026
- this is just stupid. you already have 23%, gravel is over the topabstractengineer03-11-2026
- There was once a time when Lance was supremely popular and he used his artificial "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" persona to lead his mob in going after Greg. There was no one Lance did not abuse in protecting his phony hero image. Lance promoted himself as a divine megastar and he let down millions of cancer victims and gullible devotees who clung far too long to the charade. Lance is the epitome of a corrupt person and because of his power, many around him, including business enterprises, succumbed to the evil. All who got in Armstrong's way were mercilessly attacked by him and his minions. This remarkably continues today with a new generation. LeMond was a number one enemy and paid a huge price. Who do you think slandered who?Yepperoni03-11-2026
- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026
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