“Remco puts too much pressure on himself to be better in the mountains” - Spanish legend urges Evenepoel to stop trying to follow Pogacar and Vingegaard

The defining question around Remco Evenepoel is no longer whether he belongs at the very top of the sport, but how he races when faced directly with Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard in the mountains.

Ahead of the Ardennes and with the Tour de France looming, that tension has sharpened once again, this time through the lens of a former winner who sees both the potential and the limitation.

Speaking during the Volta a Catalunya, Pedro Delgado offered a pointed assessment of Evenepoel’s approach in the high mountains, focusing less on physical ability and more on the decisions that follow when he finds himself alongside Pogacar and Vingegaard, in quotes collected by RTBF.

“Evenepoel has a big engine, but the problem, unfortunately for him, is the mountains. His build does not really make him a climber. It’s a shame, because with his potential and his character, he can do great things, but if he has Vingegaard and Pogacar in front of him, everything becomes difficult.”

The observation is not new, but Delgado’s reasoning adds a sharper edge. The issue, in his view, is not simply that Evenepoel is weaker on long climbs, but that he tries to compensate for that gap in a way that ultimately works against him.

“I like Evenepoel’s character, he reminds me of Bernard Hinault. Very strong mentally, but I think he puts too much pressure on himself to be even better in the mountains. If I can give him one piece of advice, it’s to climb at his own pace, like in a time trial. He should not try to follow Vingegaard and Pogacar, otherwise he risks blowing up.”

That tension between ambition and restraint sits at the heart of Evenepoel’s current evolution. The Belgian has built his reputation on racing on the front foot, trusting his engine and committing fully when he senses an opportunity. It is the same instinct that has brought success in time trials and one day races, but in the high mountains against the most complete climbers in the sport, the margins are far less forgiving.

Delgado’s point is therefore as much tactical as it is physiological. Matching accelerations from riders like Pogacar and Vingegaard is not simply a question of strength, but of timing and energy management across repeated efforts. In that context, riding to one’s own limit rather than reacting to others becomes a necessity rather than a choice.

“It's complicated, because with his character, he wants to be with the two champions. In Spanish, we say you have to keep a cool head in those moments. To follow or not to follow, that is the question.”

The timing of those comments is significant. Evenepoel’s immediate focus turns toward Liège–Bastogne–Liège, a race that has already suited his strengths and one where his aggressive style can be fully expressed without the same sustained climbing pressure seen in Grand Tours.

Yet the wider picture remains unchanged. The Belgian is still set to take on Pogacar and Vingegaard at the Tour de France, stepping into a direct confrontation that will inevitably be decided in the mountains Delgado highlights.

That dual ambition underlines the balancing act in front of him. One day races offer a terrain where his qualities can be decisive, while the Tour demands a different kind of control, one that may require a shift away from instinctive racing toward a more measured approach.

Delgado’s analysis does not close the door on Evenepoel’s chances. If anything, it reinforces the idea that the gap is not purely physical, but conditional on how he chooses to race when the defining moments arrive. Against the sport’s two dominant climbers, the difference may not be whether he can follow, but whether he should.