Ex-pro says Evenepoel's 'big ego' could be an asset, but doubts Tour chances: "Unless Pogacar gets sick or crashes"

Pogacar appears to be the absolute top favorite, and Vingegaard seems to be the rider closest to challenging the world champion. Wiggins predicts three tough weeks for Evenepoel. “Remco is a special rider. Of course it will be difficult, but he has the experience from last year. He knows he can last three weeks. But he has to race patiently.”

The 2012 Tour winner knows how Evenepoel can optimize his chances. “He needs to take advantage if there’s a cat-and-mouse game between Pogacar and Vingegaard. In the mountains, he has to hang on as long as possible and then use the time trials to make up time.” Stage five already features the time trial in Caen, where Evenepoel – just like in the Dauphiné – might be able to gain significant time on his rivals.

“It’s important that he remains patient because the race is decided in the third week,” Wiggins predicts. “Just like last year, he needs to fly a bit under the radar. He mustn’t forget that he has weapons of his own, like his time trial. The other two are jealous of that, too. If he has a good day, he can match them. He’s also coming back from an injury, so I think he will reach a level at the Tour that we haven’t seen from him yet this year.”

As much as Wiggins praises Evenepoel, the Brit is far less enthusiastic about his team. “Is Soudal Quick-Step strong enough to be a team with a potential Tour winner?” the former Tour champion wonders. “Especially now that Patrick (Lefevere ed.) is gone.” To really stand a chance in the most important race in cycling, a transfer might be a good option according to Wiggins. “Maybe he should consider moving elsewhere.”

“Look at the makeup of teams like Visma | Lease a Bike and UAE. They have domestiques who could win grand tours themselves. Soudal Quick-Step isn’t on that level,” Wiggins believes. He even has ideas for potential destinations. “Moving to a team like INEOS or Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe could take him to the next level, because individually he has the qualities to win the Tour.”

Regardless of which team Evenepoel rides for, Wiggins also points out the pressure the Belgian carries from his home country. “You shouldn’t forget that either. The first Belgian Tour winner in years. Unless you count my win in 2012, because technically I was the last Belgian winner,” jokes the ex-pro born in Ghent.

Fellow countryman Thomas De Gendt also talks about Evenepoel's chances in the Tour in his column on Cyclingnews. "I wouldn't wish this on anyone, unless Pogačar gets sick or crashes, Tadej will be the main favourite and he will be very difficult to beat,’ the master attacker starts his argument straight to the point. ‘Otherwise it's going to be very, very difficult for Remco - or anybody else, for that matter - to be even close. The interesting thing of course is that in Remco's mind, probably not even Pogačar is out of reach. But that's because if you're in his position and you assume Pogačar is out of your league, then you've already lost before you start."

De Gendt, who has since retired, points in particular to Evenepoel's mentality. "Remco's also realistic, though, and he'll know it's a hard task. But that attitude is part of a champion's mentality. Remco has, and people mustn't take this in a negative sense, a big ego. By which I don't mean anything bad, more that he likes to prove himself. Just look at when he had an off-day on the Tourmalet in the 2023 Vuelta a España when even I passed him on the climbs and he was not looking at all well. Yet 24 hours later, Remco was flying again. Those kinds of turnarounds aren't to prove something to the public, because they have their own opinions and even if you win a lot, they don't necessarily change. It's almost like he wants to prove his worth not only to himself but to his team, too: that he's always up there with the best riders, that he's worth riding for and worth their investment. You don't see this attitude in lower-level cyclists, only with riders with a big ego, but I repeat, I'm not saying big ego in a bad way. By that, I mean the way the greatest champions are made."

Gendt also mentions the pressure from Belgium in his column. "It's also true that Remco's chances of a Tour podium this summer are good, but you have to remember the pressure in Belgium on Remco is a bit higher than on other riders, too. When other riders from here win a stage in the Dauphiné, people here are already praising them and nominating them for Belgian Cyclist of the Year. But with Remco, they still say it's not good enough, it's like some riders cannot do anything wrong and for most people, Remco cannot do anything right. [...] The thing is Remco won the Vuelta at a young age and they expect him to be bette... So even if Remco wins the opening time trial and takes yellow, still for these critics, it won't be enough because once he loses it in the mountains they will say he is not good enough to keep the jersey. People think that if you have the yellow jersey, it gives you wings - something extra when you have to defend it. But unless Pogačar gets sick or crashes, Tadej will be the main favourite and he will be very difficult to beat."