"This is one of the better versions of Remco we have seen so far" - Evenepoel given World Championships vote of confidence as Pogacar duel looms
CyclingSunday, 02 August 2026 at 10:10
As the sun sets on Remco Evenepoel's successful Tour de France, the Belgian is hoping there's a rainbow on the horizon, literally. The Red Bull - BORA Hansgrohe has his sights firmly fixed on the Montreal World Championships next month.
An impressive and record-breaking Clasica Sen Sebastian win on Saturday underlined his intent: to challenge Tadej Pogacar's bid to make it three World Championships wins in a row. After his sharp Tour reset in the Basque country, his team manager has underlined his confidence that Evenepoel has it in him.
It's no secret that Evenepoel is in a rich vein of form off the back of his measured Tour preparation, now the Olympic champion wants to turn that into rainbow bands on September 27th, while also targeting time trial honours and latter season goals.
His management of a mid-race setback at San Sebastian as well as how he responded in the finale only served to ramp up the momentum. With 50 kilometers to go and a raging peloton ahead of him, the 26-year-old found himself chasing almost a minute behind after a flat tire.
Making it back after a near-solo climb up the steep Elaitz wall, Evenepoel and Richard Carapaz would contest the win ahead of the remnants of the peloton as the Red Bull man bested the Tour King of the Mountains winner in an exciting finale.
Evenepoel delivers despite setback
"We stayed calm, but it still wasn't ideal. We did stick to our plan: if Remco had the legs, it would be for him," Red Bull team manager Sven Vanthourenhout told Sporza.
"Van Gils was also very strong, which meant we maintained control."
Vanthourenhout has worked with Evenepoel for several years, particularly with the Belgian national team, and made no mistake about it: a confident Evenepoel is in the shape to compete with even a dominant Pogacar ovr one day.
He said: "This is one of the better versions of Remco we have seen so far. He is also feeling good; things are going as they should.
"The World Championships? First and foremost, he himself must maintain his confidence: Pogacar is hard to beat, but in a one-day race, anything is possible. Especially if he is in good form."
Remco Evenepoel before the start of Clasica San Sebastian 2026
Evenepoel cut Paris celebrations short
Evenepoel and teammate Maxim van Gils knew that San Sebastian could be a big day, cutting short their Tour finale celebrations to recover for the one-day race. When Evenepoel found himself behind, there were no panic stations as a flying van Gils monitored the situation at the front.
"In Paris we were in bed fairly early, so our minds were actually already here in San Sebastian," Van Gils also told Sporza after Evenepoel's fightback from a flat tire. "But we didn't panic. I was still reasonably well positioned at the front and could effectively disrupt the race. We had everything under control."
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After Evenepoel's return and a final climb to Murgil Tontorra with ten kilometers on the ticker, the result almost felt inevitable for van Gils.
"We often had to hold back. Teams were constantly watching us, especially after what happened to Remco. Remco was simply clearly the strongest. When he came back, I was actually quite happy. He is still a bigger asset than me, and I'm certainly no bad rider."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Time is up for Ineos......
Senna196002-08-2026 - Guy could easily have been a top-end pro!
leedorney02-08-2026 - Yeah, his climbing performances are around the same level as Florian Lipowitz in an MTT... of course endurance is a different matter
Rafionain-Glas02-08-2026 - Andrew Feather is far from someone for anyone to hang with on rilly good hard climbs. Put his name and GCN on YouTube in a search "GCN Andrew Feather" and look at what this guy is capable of. It is insane.md197502-08-2026
- Please pay some respect to the man, it's Pogačar with a č.cgmethod02-08-2026
- Imagine riding past 1 million people over 3 weeks totally spent and explaining yourself 21 days in a row for press and then Wham...your alone in a room with no one.Psychological whiplash.Only a supremely balanced grounded human being can stay clear and true in that world.Lucky for us that human being is Tadej Pogacar Greatest of All Time.
Brucegel02-08-2026 - All together now:... 1 2 3: Pogi... The GOAT !!!PogiSloFans02-08-2026
- I'd like this doping topic to be dropped until someone is busted. These articles slyly infer Pog is doping but just hasn't been caught yet. Btw, I think he's clean.Santiago02-08-2026
- I'd like this doping topic to be dropped until someone is busted. These articles slyly infer Pog is doping but just hasn't been caught yet. Btw, I think he's clean.Santiago02-08-2026
- Thats just amateurish, you go back for water and food, you send your teammate for thatabstractengineer02-08-2026
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