"We agreed to turn everything around" - Change of coach made a world's difference for Remco Evenepoel
CyclingThursday, 06 August 2026 at 21:30
Remco Evenepoel has had his best-ever Tour de France and it came as no coincidence. Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe changed up the Belgian's support crew and linked him up with former Visma coach Tim Heemskerk who had previously coached Jonas Vingegaard into two Tour de France wins. The Olympic Champion has found an ideal match in his chase for success.
“The turnaround with Remco’s new coach made the difference," Patrick Evenepoel, Remco's father and agent, said on the Derailleur podcast. "Remco was sharp for the start of the Tour, but it has been proven that it is also necessary to reach this level. That was not yet the case after the spring, but back then we had also been working towards the Tour of Flanders".
Early in the season Evenepoel showed good form in the shorter efforts, but struggled at the UAE Tour and Volta a Catalunya where he had been testing his climbing form. Whilst he then won Amstel Gold Race and finished third at both Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, his performance in the latter was far from convincing as he was nowhere near the level of Tadej Pogacar and Paul Seixas.
Evenepoel aimed for the Tour de France, but had no confidence heading into the longer efforts.
"Just before Liège-Bastogne-Liège, we agreed to turn everything around and start over as preparation for the Tour de France. A few days later, it became known that Dan Lorang would be leaving the team," Evenepoel senior explained. The decision had been made to change coaches, with Lorang leaving, and Tim Heemskerk getting signed in preparation for the Tour.
Heemskerk's entrance makes all the difference
Heemskerk had previously left Team Visma | Lease a Bike, at a similar time to the announcement of Grischa Niermann's departure. Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe seized the opportunity and put Evenepoel to work alongside someone who in recent years coached a rider to Tour de France victory.
"Tim Heemskerk was available. And there was an immediate connection. Remco really liked the way Tim explained everything. And once you win his trust, you can do anything with Remco," Patrick Evenepoel explained.
Evenepoel's racing agenda was blanked out, and the focus on weight loss was also put in the spotlight. The preparation worked perfectly, and this was already known well before the Tour.
"We really saw him change over the past few months. His peace of mind, especially; things became calmer in his head. A month before the Tour, I saw him like I had never seen him before.”
Remco Evenepoel climbing with Tadej Pogacar at the Tour de France
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In the race itself the results were notable. Whilst the first half of the Tour was far from impressive, Evenepoel avoided any meaningful time loss; and from stage 15 onwards, he had the best climbing legs of his career.
The victory on Plateau de Solaison, stage 15, was the sign that he had prepared for the Tour right. In the final week, he consistently proved to be the second strongest climber in the race behind Pogacar, and rode into second place in the overall classification.
“The plan was for him to improve more from day ten onwards. I think everyone has seen that this effectively happened. The race could have lasted another week for him," he added. The week after, Evenepoel would go on to race into a record-breaking fourth win at the Clásica San Sebastian.
But the performance at the Tour was the evidence he needed that he is a three-week specialist; and has something he can build on. "That was very important, what he has achieved now proves that he can continue to dream of this work. On the other hand, if things had gone wrong, we would have had to go back to the drawing board".
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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- For sure. But it "can" come at the expense of retiring with fewer GT wins. You also get experience as a leader by being a team's leader. But he may also enjoy riding for Pogi more than racing for himself anyway.Vpotts06-08-2026
- I get the impression that Vingegaard doesnt actually like to race or cycling even so I dont think he will.miguel06-08-2026
- I get the impression that Vingegaard doesnt actually like to race or cycling even so I dont think he will.miguel06-08-2026
- it is reported on other sites that he signed his extension with UAEmij06-08-2026
- Why are we recycling old podcast takes from many months ago and Pogacar already said UAE is aboard with him on the OL plans. This is just lazy journalism if even that.miguel06-08-2026
- he wants clarity on the team's plans. what clarity does the team have on his plans to remain a hard-worker once he gets a longer contract?mij06-08-2026
- not only do they deserve it, the racing is fantastic. yesterday's stage was amazing.mij06-08-2026
- I agree, Remco did have bigger power output in the lower and punchier mountains, but when they would have got into the high mountains, then the picture would be turned around. I still think Jonas is a better high mountain climber and would have beaten Remco on Alp d'Huez. Maybe we will never know, I have the feeling Jonas will retire. He has nothing more to prove: He won all three GT, TdF twice... he won all the major one week stage races... he can't seem to win one day races... he crashed out on a few occasions and hurt himself pretty badly... him staying and beating other cyclists that are not Pogačar is BS... he knows he will never again beat Pogi, regardless what he says... SO??? Retirement !!!PogiSloFans06-08-2026
- I can't imagine saying "no" to a countryman making this request to represent your company to help the team win.mij06-08-2026
- Learning isn't just about acquiring new skills—it’s a direct investment in your future. Every time you dedicate time to grow, you reaffirm your commitment to becoming a better version of yourself and prepare for bigger opportunities ahead.raulmejia06-08-2026
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