"The most impressive thing he has done" - Pogacar battle at Tour de France assures Belgian coach that Remco Evenepoel can win Grand Tour soon
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel has won this past Sunday's European Championships in Slovenia and may have gotten his confidence. In a recent interview, Belgian national coach Serge Pauwels has talked about his comeback, mental state after World Championships and how his Tour de France performance impressed him immensely.
The Montréal worlds, despite seeing Evenepoel deliver a major fourth consecutive time trial world title, was not fully acomplished as the road race saw him in difficulties against his main rivals. The feeling was of disappointment, although he didn't make that too public after the matter - but only after his victory at the Europeans.
Following the worlds, Pauwels was unaware that Evenepoel had taken it that hard. "He could use that for an extra quality training session and better recovery. When he arrived in Slovenia on Friday he was immediately his relaxed self. He was very chilled and could joke at the table with his teammates and the staff straight away. There wasn't a cloud in the sky," national coach Pauwels told Wielerflits.
"It was only after he won the Europeans that I heard in an interview about his disappointment. I think it was so big because the off day in Montréal is impossible for him to explain. It had nothing to do with condition, because in the weeks before he was always superb".
Evenepoel is aiming to win Il Lombardia next weekend, something which has become more possible after he showed great legs at the Europeans - beating Giulio Cicccone in a photo-finish sprint.
"That's difficult to accept as a top athlete, but maybe the new goal also helped him flip the switch. For us it didn't feel at all like he had let us down, and everything at the Europeans still revolved around him."
Evenepoel to always race World Championships
Pauwels talked to Evenepoel about future editions, some which may not favour his abilities - 2028 and 2029 is reported to fit the sprinters - but even then, the Olympic Champion wants to be present.
"I dropped him at the airport on Tuesday and on the way we chatted informally about the courses in the coming years. I sense from him, and he says it himself, that he really likes riding in that blue jersey of the federation and that he just really enjoys going with the national team," Pauwels explains.
"Even if there were championships where he had a supporting role at some point, I'm thinking of a flatter course like Abu Dhabi in two years, where we'll probably go with the sprinters, he still says he wants to be there. And rightly so, because Remco can play his part on any course."
Tour de France surprised Pauwels
But not only are the one-day races a viable goal for the Belgian, but also the Grand Tours. Like in 2024, Pauwels saw an Evenepoel perfectly prepared and executing a perfect Tour de France performance.
"The most impressive thing he has done, I still think, is the second half of the Tour," he believes. "He was very close to Pogačar's level there. He beat him uphill a few times and that must give him a lot of hope for the future".
A Giro d'Italia or Vuelta a España presence in 2027 could result in a second Grand Tour win, if he is able to achieve the same form.
"Remco can conclude from that not only that he can go toe to toe with the best Pogačar, but also that when Pogačar isn't theHire, he can always go for overall victory in a Grand Tour," Pauwels states.
"Of course he won the Vuelta at an earlier stage of his career, but that was simply the confirmation we were all waiting and hoping for. His level was the highest we have ever seen from him."
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His Tour build-up was masterminded by Tim Heemskerk, Jonas Vingegaard's former coach. Pauwels believes that Evenepoel deserves just as much credit for having executed the plan to perfection.
"Probably a combination of everything. Those people get a lot of credit, but I think Remco should also take the credit himself. Every time we see how driven he is. He has to go on altitude camp himself to get to weight, and he knows exactly what he wants. Now he is finally being rewarded for it," he concluded.
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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