“That's where I've improved the most” – Is Ilan van Wilder now Remco Evenepoel’s most important Tour de France teammate?

Fifteen days. That’s how long Remco Evenepoel and Soudal – Quick-Step have to prepare for the biggest challenge of their season: taking on Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard at the 2025 Tour de France. After a mixed showing at the Critérium du Dauphiné, they’ll need every single one of those days.

Evenepoel finished fourth overall at the Dauphiné and impressed with a stage win in the time trial, but the mountains once again exposed a gap. He was distant from Pogacar and Vingegaard on the steepest slopes, especially troubling given the terrain that awaits in the Alps and Pyrenees next month, and how he had no teammates to support him. And to make matters worse, he will go to the Tour without key climbing domestique Mikel Landa, who fractured his spine during the Giro d’Italia.

That leaves the team looking increasingly fragile, and makes Ilan Van Wilder’s form and availability more important than ever.

Van Wilder, 25, has known Evenepoel for years and is now set to be his most trusted lieutenant. He’s had a strong 2025 season, placing sixth at the Itzulia Basque Country, seventh at the Volta ao Algarve, and tenth in Paris–Nice. Currently racing at the Tour de Suisse, Van Wilder sits tenth overall, 3:17 behind Kevin Vauquelin.

"It's not easy to have injured riders, but there's not much you can do about it," Van Wilder told IDLProCycling.com. "It's a pity, but we must adapt and make the best possible selection. I think we still have good options, but again, there are some things you can't influence."

That list of concerns goes well beyond Landa. Louis Vervaeke is still uncertain after breaking his collarbone, Valentin Paret-Peintre has only just returned from his own injury, and Max Schachmann was not at his best last week at the Dauphiné.

It must be said that if last year is to go by, Evenepoel fans should not panic. He won the TT at the Dauphine, but finished seventh in the GC, and then went on to finish third at the Tour, winning a stage and the white jersey. So, he can turn things around. But he will definitely need all the help he can get.

Van Wilder is trying to stay focused on what he can control: his own legs. “I feel good. The first day didn't go as planned. We lost a lot of time, but we weren't the only team that did. We didn't have anyone with us and didn't ride a good race, it has to be said. That made it a strange week,” he said of his Tour de Suisse campaign so far.

Still, there have been bright spots. The Belgian has stayed with the best climbers on the queen stage and is drawing confidence from holding his own against the likes of UAE Team Emirates – XRG rider Joao Almeida. “Joao Almeida is still the one to beat, but I can keep up with him, which gives me a positive feeling and motivation for what's to come.”

What’s perhaps most significant is Van Wilder’s own reflection on how far he’s come since last summer. “Since last year's Tour, I've been able to take another step forward. Mainly in terms of toughness: performing again and again and still being able to push through that wall despite having some bad days,” he said.

“In my opinion, that's where I've improved the most, which is also reflected in my results at WorldTour level,” Van Wilder continued. “I wasn't able to do that every time in recent years. Why is that? The Tour in my legs, getting older, more experienced... all those things together give me more substance.”

That substance may prove vital. Evenepoel doesn’t just need a team around him, he needs teammates who can endure day after day of racing on the limit, who can recover quickly, and who can follow the best when the gradients hit double digits. Van Wilder has become that rider.

But will it be enough? Pogacar will be backed by Almeida, Adam Yates, Marc Soler, and others. Vingegaard has Simon Yates, Sepp Kuss, and Wout van Aert in support. Soudal – Quick-Step, once built around stage hunting and classics, are still learning how to race for the GC over three weeks. The loss of Landa, combined with lingering doubts about the rest of the team, leaves Evenepoel exposed.

Van Wilder, then, carries more than just water bottles. He carries the responsibility of bridging the gap between Remco and the sport’s two dominant stage racers. If he can keep progressing, and if Evenepoel can limit the damage in the highest mountains, the Belgian duo may still make a meaningful impact and they can certainly go for the podium again. But as it stands, Soudal – Quick-Step are on the ropes. And they’ll need Van Wilder firing on all cylinders just to stay in the fight.