"That is the reason why I came to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe" - Tour de France victory remains the big goal of Remco Evenepoel's career

Remco Evenepoel is a classics specialist who can also climb, not the other way around. Over the years its become clear that, aside from the time trials, the Olympic Champion tends to perform better on the short climbs, whilst having a more difficult challenge in the high mountains. After the end of another spring classics campaign the question rises again on whether he should go all-in for the Tour de France again; and he has shared his thoughts.

Giving up on the dream of winning the Tour de France is not going to be ignored. “That’s not going to happen and I can’t do it,” he says in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws. “The team and I share that ambition, and that is the reason why I came to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe". Simultaneously: "I have the ambition to win classics and to be and remain a super-good one-day racer.”

Evenepoel is an almost unique case in the peloton. He developed into a top rider at only 19, kickstarting the modern trend of signing incredibly young riders directly into the World Tour straight from the junior ranks. He was also one of the first to truly perform at the top at such a young age, something that is now more common, and perhaps even overshadowed by someone like Paul Seixas who has been on a results streak that defies logic for a rider who has not hit 20 years of age yet.

Aside from his extreme success in time trialing, Evenepoel has built a notable palmarès, a lot of it on one-day races. Two Victories at Liége-Bastogne-Liège, Amstel Gold Race, three Clásica San Sebastián, the World Championships, an Olympic title... He is a rider with extraordinary endurance, power and aerodynamics for solo attacks both on the climbs and on the flat, making him almost an unique kind of threat for his rivals.

He won the 2022 Vuelta a España and in 2024, had an extraordinary and consistent level at the Tour de France, which proves his ability to race Grand Tours at the highest level. But those are the only two instances in his career. At 26, it has become clear that the odds are less favourable in the three-week races, where he has in the past often struggled due to injuries, illnesses... Even the pressure that arises from an environment such as the Tour de France where the stakes are as high as ever.

But in the one-day races he continues to perform. Last fall he was second to Tadej Pogacar at the World and European Championships; followed by Il Lombardia - finishing an isolated second place behind him. If it weren't for the Slovenian, Evenepoel could've added those wins to his at the World and European time trial championships.

This spring he made his debut at the Tour of Flanders and immediately succeeded with a third place behind Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel, confirming his 'home' monument can also potentially enter his palmarès. In the two races that involved long climbs however, he was only 10th at the UAE Tour and fifth at the Volta a Catalunya.

Naturally, he is a classics rider. But as we've seen in the past, specific preparation and weight management can improve his level on this terrain substantially. “So I say ‘now it is up to you to find a way to combine that.’ Tadej has already done it for a few years in a row. Okay, he is a different being. But I think I also have the capabilities to focus purely on the classics in the spring and then go ‘all in’ for the Tour.”

However the Belgian definitely faces the pressure, with the likes of Paul Seixas and Isaac del Toro bringing a new generation onto the table of Tour de France podium contenders; with Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard still showing so signs of slowing down; and with Florian Lipowitz and Giulio Pellizzari's growth also not allowing him to be a sole leader in the German team when it comes to the Grand Tour options.

There is pressure in the Evenepoel camp, but after the end of the spring, which he capped off with a third place at Liège-Bastogne-Liége (where his climbing level was quite far from that of Pogacar and Seixas); he will now take some rest and begin his specific preparation towards the Tour de France.