Remco Evenepoel is currently on the top of the cycling world, wearing the rainbow bands and standing as a Grand Tour and monument champion. He's about to start the Giro d'Italia as a main favourite, however he admits that only this year did he believe he can climb as well as main rival Primoz Roglic.
“I had doubts last year whether I could climb as well as Roglič, but those doubts are gone after the Volta a Catalunya. I think we were equal there. The recipe for victory will be to climb as well as he does, and get time on Roglič in the time trials. He is the Olympic time trial champion, so that will be very difficult. I am at least a few percent better than in Catalunya. We will see."
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Evenepoel was riding at a tremendous level in Catalunya, but was almost equally balanced with Roglic. The two were a level above the competition, some of which will be faced here. When it comes to sprinting on hilly days and time-trials both will be at the front, not only in the mountains, and both come in with similarly strong teams into the race - although Jumbo-Visma has been having it's lineup swept by Covid-19.
“Of course I'm afraid of corona, but we're going to treat it like the Vuelta. We are going to give it a little more attention, wash our hands... That is also where the full focus is on the next three weeks. The fact that a few riders are now not participating for that reason should be a clear message for everyone. Everyone should know that we should not infect each other.”
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Coming into the race however other riders can be serious competition, specially taking into consideration how many could crack in the final week. The likes of João Almeida, Tao Geoghegan Hart and Aleksandr Vlasov sit the highest behind, whilst the podium positions will also be open.
However Jumbo is not the only rival team Evenepoel acknowledges: “I don't really think about that. INEOS Grenadiers and Bahrain Victorious are the strongest teams on paper, they can surprise with a tactic. INEOS has a clear plan with Geraint Thomas, but UAE Emirates, EF Education-EasyPost and Bahrain Victorious can surprise with a special tactic. UAE has Jay Vine and João Almeida, which are several cards that can play for a surprising tactic. It will be a special and open race, but our team is flexible and ready for anything.”
The World Champion has net several big wins this year already, specially the recent Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He comes into the Giro without the pressure he had until mid-2022 and hopes to continue performing as consistently as he has since winning Liège last season.
“I don't feel any pressure anymore, but it did confirm what I already knew. That was the same as with the Clásica San Sebastián last year. For the team it is very, very good, because it gave a lot of riders a boost and confidence. For the Giro it really gives me a boost. Liège was more of a final preparation for the Giro than that we were trying to save the classics.”
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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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- 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
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- He should be in a different team. It was detrimental. For them it does not matter if he does not develop. He should have gone to a team where they need him to succeed.abstractengineer10-11-2026
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