Belgian cycling legend: ‘Vingegaard should ride the Giro — will he ever win the Tour again?’

Jonas Vingegaard announced early — just weeks after the Tour de France — that he wants to ride the 2026 Giro d’Italia. Remco Evenepoel is also open to starting the season’s first Grand Tour. According to Belgian commentator and former sports director José De Cauwer, this may well be a smart move. Speaking on De Grote Plaat podcast, he also reflects on the situation surrounding Cian Uijtdebroeks: did the young Belgian make the right choice?

De Cauwer sees only positives in a Giro attempt for Vingegaard. “Imagine he wins the Vuelta, the Tour and the Giro… That would be magnificent,” he says. “But on the other side of the coin, you might also have to say: maybe it’s sensible to go to the Giro, because will he ever win the Tour again? At some point you have to make choices.”

Evenepoel is also thinking about riding the Giro, allowing both leaders to tick off another ambition. “Riders increasingly have a bucket list, which is actually quite beautiful,” De Cauwer says. But if one knows the other is also there, they might think: oei, then my chances get a bit smaller. In Remco’s case, maybe that means going all-in for the Tour instead.”

Rumours suggest race organisers could add many kilometres of time trialling to lure Evenepoel toward Italy. A slightly less demanding route would suit him, as he is increasingly beaten uphill. Tadej Pogacar is in a league of his own, and Vingegaard remains stronger for now. But De Cauwer believes the real problem lies in the escalating difficulty of modern Grand Tours.

"54,000 metres of climbing in the Tour de France — that is simply too much,” he sighs.,' he sighs. “They keep making the races harder and harder.” This trend, he says, means only the lightest riders can realistically aim for the Tour. “The top ten of the Tour are all 1m80 and weigh 65 kilos… I told Visma: you do realise a Dutch rider is never going to win the Tour again? The average Dutchman is 1m90.”

The former national coach argues that the UCI must ensure greater variety in Grand Tour designs. “I think the UCI needs to give organisers a proper rulebook: it can’t be this, it can’t be that. They need to ensure more and broader types of riders can start with real ambitions. Right now it’s either a sprint, a time trial or a summit finish.”

For someone like Cian Uijtdebroeks, however, such brutal courses are actually beneficial. The more climbing, the better for the Belgian lightweight. After two years with Visma | Lease a Bike, he left the team and signed for Movistar — the second time he has terminated a contract early in search of a new (and surprising) adventure.

De Cauwer isn’t sure it’s the right call. He points out that few riders have improved at Movistar. “I’ve also seen very few riders get better after leaving Quick-Step,” he adds. “But back to Uijtdebroeks: he has spent four years running his head against the wall. Maybe it was time to realise: I’m not doing things the right way. It might well be the right moment for a change.”

At the Spanish team, Uijtdebroeks hopes for more personal opportunities, especially in Grand Tours. But De Cauwer thinks that is the wrong approach. He wants the young Belgian to first build a stronger base by winning smaller races. “Start with the beginning,” he says. “It’s the impatience of young riders who want to be at the Tour of Flanders immediately. But winning a race remains the core of the job.”