"This team cannot afford to mess around": Chris Horner hopes Red Bull learnt a lesson in supporting Remco before UAE Tour

Remco Evenepoel got off to a flying debut with Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, winning every race he participate in so far, however the first serious test is yet to come. The Spanish races definitely weren't enough to truly challenge the Olympic champion, but UAE Tour will have a whole different startlist quality, despite the absence of Jonas Vingegaard. And Remco's team won't get away with tactical mishaps as was the case during Volta a Comunitat Valenciana.

"When I take you back into Valencia, it wasn't the best of the best tactics for Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe on stage 1," Chris Horner opens his Youtube analysis by a taking a brief detour to the events of last week. "They split the group going over the final climb and then sat up because they had a little hissy-tissy with riders from Movistar and UAE Tour Emirates, because they refused to ride at the front."

However that was only logical from the UAE riders' perspective: "Since Almeida was back in the second group. And by slowing the pace down Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe allowed Almeida to come back to that group so tactically that was a nightmare mistake there for Red Bull who had four riders in the front with Aleotti, Pellizzari and Vlasov there for Evenepoel."

And in United Arab Emirates, Evenepoel's greatest rivals will again be the men in white jerseys. However both Isaac del Toro and Adam Yates are notably worse time trialists than the Belgium, providing the world champion with a likey early head start after the 12-kilometer ITT on stage 2. "We're gonna have to see where Del Toro and where Adam Yates stand after the TT because those two riders are gonna have some serious pressure on their shoulders to battle against Remco on the following stage."

So if everything goes as planned for Red Bull on the first two days, Evenepoel should be wearing the red leader's jersey heading into stage 3. The 183-kilometer stage will be a premiere of the Jebel Mobrah climb with terrifying paramters of nearly 12% average over last 7 kilometers.

"This team cannot afford to mess around," Horner hopes Red Bull learnt their lesson from Valeciana. "They're going to need to control the pace. They're going to need to bring it into the final climb and then Remco Evnepoel is going to have to deliver a devastating blow."

Of course, the race doesn't end on Wednesday with four more windy stages where anything can happen, including the stage 6 up Jebel Hafeet, another iconic climb of UAE Tour.