Remco Evenepoel's
Tour de France couldn't really have gone much better. Despite many doubting his capabilities over three weeks in such a strong field, the Belgian finished comfortably on the final podium, albeit a little off
Jonas Vingegaard and
Tadej Pogacar.
"Pogacar simply blew away the entire opposition, including Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard . He seems to be riding around with an extra layer," analyses ex-pro
Serge Pauwels in his post-Grand Tour reflections for
Sporza. "He has clearly found the right recipe with his new trainer. If he can keep repeating that, I fear that there will be little left for the competition."
When asked if a Tour de France podium in this company ranks higher on Evenepoel's palmares than his 2022 Vuelta a Espana overall victory, Pauwels is also in his analysis. "This is the Tour, the highest attainable, so yes," answers the ex-Team Sky rider. "He was watched with wide eyes and ultimately did what everyone expected of him. Not a single day of failure, sublime time trials, a stage victory and the white jersey: that is incredibly impressive."
That's not to say that Evenepoel can be content though. As Pauwels notes, if the
Soudal - Quick-Step leader is to be the man to end the long wait for a Belgian Maillot Jaune winner, there is still much improvement needed over the coming year.
"The team must think about how they can improve Remco, without being blind to his other qualities," concludes Pauwels. "They should not necessarily work on his explosiveness if that is not where the biggest profit margin lies. Everything must be carefully considered."
