Evenepoel doesn't believe the hype: won't be surprised if Seixas 'struggles in the final hour'

Remco Evenepoel has won Liège-Bastogne-Liège twice. The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider lines up again on Sunday, hunting a third La Doyenne title — but the competition is formidable. Tadej Pogačar was too strong last year, and now young talent Paul Seixas enters the picture too. But Evenepoel has a thing or two to say about that.

Evenepoel skipped the Flèche Wallonne during the week. "The Flèche Wallonne was never on the programme anyway," he said at the pre-race press conference for Liège-Bastogne-Liège, attended by Het Laatste Nieuws. "The Amstel Gold Race was six hours of racing, with some rain too. We thought purely about arriving at Liège-Bastogne-Liège fresh. Races often explode early. Fresh legs are recommended for that."

Evenepoel made his Tour of Flanders debut earlier this season, then went to a training camp. He subsequently won the Amstel Gold Race. "A few percentage points were added on camp. Then I had the Amstel Gold Race on top of that. So it's not comparable to last year at all."

In 2025, the Olympic champion spent a long spell on the sidelines following a serious winter crash. The Brabantse Pijl was his first race back — he won immediately. After third place at the Amstel Gold Race, hopes were high for a strong Liège — but he couldn't stay with the best and eventually crossed the line in 59th place, over three minutes behind winner Pogačar, who made the decisive move on the Côte de la Redoute.

This year will be very different, the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe leader insists. "I expect to be able to stay with the front group for longer than last year. The weather will be good. It's always a bit the same here. It will come down to man against man again after La Redoute. I'm in better shape at the start than last year. One more time giving everything — and then it's time for a bit of rest."

Evenepoel is ready for battle then — but the favourite's tag belongs to the world champion. "I don't think that's really a question. Pogačar wins everywhere he starts — except Roubaix. Have I learned anything from the Van Aert versus Pogačar duel at Roubaix? It's a completely different course. If there's one race where he has the least chance, it's Roubaix — and he still finishes second there twice. That's not bad, I think. At Strade and in Flanders, he wins. That says enough."

Paul Seixas arrives with enormous momentum after his sensational season, including a Flèche Wallonne win in which he posted the fastest time ever recorded on the Mur de Huy. "The conditions were also perfect on Wednesday," Evenepoel puts it in perspective. "But what he did remains incredibly impressive. Sunday is 260 kilometres, though. He is only nineteen. That will be a different story. We shouldn't be surprised if he struggles in the final hour."

There is considerable pressure on the nineteen-year-old Frenchman to deliver something special. That will be no different for Evenepoel, who carries the weight of Flemish expectations after his strong performance in Limburg. "There has been pressure since my very first race as a professional. And there will be pressure until my very last. I have confidence in myself and in my team. That is what matters most."