"The Tour is really starting now" - Remco Evenepoel ready as Tour de France returns to the mountains
CyclingFriday, 17 July 2026 at 14:30
The Tour de France has had a very difficult start in Catalunya and the Pyrenees, with large gaps being created. On the Massif Central, the stage to Le Lioran once again took the GC contenders to the limit, but the race will return to the high mountains this weekend. Remco Evenepoel is ready for them.
There are five high mountain stages at this year's Tour, and the stage to Gavarnie, where Tadej Pogacar blew up the race on the Col du Tourmalet, was the only one tackled so far. In terms of the main GC stages, most remain to be tackled, as is the case with the stage 16 time trial.
Despite the overall classification being blown to bits by this point, in the big picture, the Tour is still young. At the start of stage 13, Remco Evenepoel shared his current thoughts and mindset as the race goes into the Vosges.
“The mountains are following each other in quick succession now, there is something happening every day," Evenepoel shared in words to Wielerflits. "There will be no more flat stages or stages with only third or fourth category climbs, so in that respect, the Tour is really starting now".
The key aspect of Grand Tours - recovery and fatigue resistance - will begin to become more and more crucial as the race moves forward, and the Belgian is well aware of its importance. "Of course, we have already had twelve tough days with demanding stages, but for the general classification contenders, it is really about building up fatigue from now on".
Remco Evenepoel at the 2026 Tour de France
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A dangerous stage to save
This Friday the riders tackle the longest stage of the Tour, although it is only 205 kilometers in length - 40 less than the Giro's most difficult, which was also a mountain stage. The peloton will be tackling the Ballon d'Alsace climb, however there are mixed opinions on what impact the stage may have.
Evenepoel focuses more on the descent that follows and the treacherous weather conditions. “It is downhill, of course, but it is not as if it is very important to do anything today. They are also forecasting thunderstorms, so I don't think anyone wants to go over the limit today," he says.
"It is a matter for the general classification teams to finish safely. From tomorrow onwards, there will be stages with very different climbs. A day for the breakaway? "It will depend on the breakaway. I expect a high pace to thin out the group, but I don't necessarily expect action among the GC contenders, but it is the Tour, so you never know.”
Evenepoel is a dangerous rider, mostly outside the mountains. Such a day could provide an opportunity for his explosivity and rouleur abilities to be in the spotlight, but he refuses the idea that he would be allowed in any way to surprise with breakaway.
“No, not really. There will be more opportunities in stages like this in the future. These are stages you have to take. You never know. If it takes a long time for the breakaway to get away and the peloton stays together, we might ride to the finish in a small group. Then I can still try my luck in the sprint, but I don't think that’s going to happen," 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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- I agree with him. I saw the overhead video. It really looked like Gaviria went left and wasn’t paying attention. At a minimum, Gaviria deviated more from his line than Michelen.JoeyB17-07-2026
- No no, you couldn't be more wrong. Just hate your countless fawning posts on your hatred against Pogi-your hate obsession! Get a life :(mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales17-07-2026
- When I watch races, I don't want to see mediocrity, gifts, and whining. I just want the best man to win, and if Remco is the best that day and drops Pogačar, I have nothing against it. I just don't want gifts for mediocre cyclists, from a BS breakaway, let the best man win. Ad acta!!!mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales17-07-2026
- Maybe you've got a point here. They could infect him, or "innocently" crash him: "oops, I'm sorry, I didn't see you..."mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales17-07-2026
- Why write an article about jorgenson being sick AND NOT MENTION WHAT THE ILLNESS IS .. PRETTY PATHETIC REPORTINGcaptmike17-07-2026
- 🤡🤡U🤡🤡C🤡🤡I🤡🤡Lobz7717-07-2026
- > 2:00 minutes is enough to win a GT comfortably. i think he is waiting for a crashabstractengineer17-07-2026
- is his plan to keep an ill Matteo in the race to infect Tadej and bring him down that way?mij17-07-2026
- amenmij17-07-2026
- honestly I agree with you. I shed tears for this man Jonas getting paid millions to ride a bike. he has the ability to walk away and say there is so much more to life while he has his millions. meanwhile there is so much more to life than working in a factory, but factory workers have to continue to retirement in spite of perhaps wanting to finish early. I find Jonas so unlikable due to being ungrateful for the talent and blessings he has. instead he just complains of his burden of riding a toy for millions per year.mij17-07-2026
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