"That should become my standard" - Remco Evenepoel sets himself the goal of being at a level to beat Tadej Pogacar
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel is aiming high towards 2027. The Tour de France appears to be a certain goal according to a recent interview, in which he has hinted at his objectives for the Tour de France, and spoke in detail about his time trialing setup.
“I really believe that on long TTs and on certain TTs with a lot of high-speed sections that I just gained 30 seconds purely off the bike. Because it's really a big, big improvement compared to the previous bike," Evenepoel said on the Specialized Bicycle Components Podcast.
Evenepoel, after concluding the 2026 season, has travelled to the USA where he and several teammates spent some time at Specialized's headquarters, working on his time trial position and setup.
The Olympic Champion is already the world's best in the discipline, by a large margin, but that does not mean there is ever space to slow down in the attempts to improve on his setup.
Evenepoel is an ambassador for the American bike brand, but throughout his career he has achieved unmatched levels of success in the discipline with Specialized. “In cornering, I was super confident. The bike was super stable under me".
Remco Evenepoel has been untouchable against the clock in recent years
Evenepoel already thinking about 2027 Tour de France
The Tour de France has recently been revealed for the 2027 edition, with over 70 kilometers of individual time trialing - mostly flat; fewer decisive stages and more flat days. For Evenepoel, it would've been harder to imagine a better route for his abilities.
“We need to make like a kind of a straight strategy to arrive to those TTs as fresh as possible," he has said of the upcoming Grand Boucle. “It shows that I can take nice little advantage before going in the Alps".
Evenepoel will have a 38-kilometer long challenge against the clock before the race enters the mountains, which can render his abilities against the clock as a weapon to get ahead of Tadej Pogacar.
This year, he has performed above his regular level in the second half of the race, and next year also finds a route with plenty key stages along the second half of the race.
“With those TTs and with the little bit more punchy stages in the beginning and what is it, like, only three summit finishes? It's something that is fitting me better than having 10 summit finishes, for example," he is certain of.
Evenepoel wants to reach a new level
But the truth is that his second place at this year's edition confirms his potential to win a Tour de France - although Tadej Pogacar's presence still comes in the way. But Evenepoel has been clear that he wants his general all-year round level to be as high as what he's shown at the Tour - similar to Pogacar.
“What is now the very good is what I would like to have as this is my standard. I think those two days were my best days in the Tour (stages 15 and 16, which he won, ed.). So that should become my standard. And then from there on, having those super days.”
If Evenepoel is able to take the next step, he could not only challenge the likes of Jonas Vingegaard and Paul Seixas, but perhaps even look to challenge peak Tadej Pogacar in the mountains.
“If I'm on a really, really good day, I think I can be up there and I don't have to be scared". He's shown this at the Plateau de Solaison summit finish this year.
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But as well as the Tour, Evenepoel aims for the spring classics in 2027. This year, his debut at the Tour of Flanders was met with the best result that he could realistically aim for.
“For Flanders, third place was like a victory, honestly. It was my first participation. Didn't know what to expect.” In 2027, there have been rumours that a Paris-Roubaix debut is also on the table. Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe will have their media day on the 11th of December in Mallorca, where Evenepoel will speak of his goals for the upcoming year.
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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