Evenepoel happy with British boost, but secretive about next steps toward Worlds: "I’m not going to say"
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Follow us on GoogleRemco Evenepoel may have claimed victory in stage 5 on Saturday, but the overall win in the Tour of Britain slipped through his fingers on Sunday. The Belgian from Soudal-Quick Step admitted he had a plan to unseat Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) from the race lead, but that plan was spoiled by a bunch sprint, which was won for the third time by Olav Kooij.
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“I’m pretty happy with the outcome, because it’s more or less the maximum I could take out of this race,” Evenepoel said through his team’s official channels. He missed out on the overall win by just two seconds, but wasn’t too bothered by that. “Maybe on stage four it could have turned different for me, but we should be happy as I made my return to competition after a long period.”
“I gave absolutely everything here and I would have loved to leave with a GC win, but in the end, I am content with my result, the stage victory I took and with the teamwork we put in this week,” he added. “It was a strong outing and an important morale-boost before travelling to the World Championships.”
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Remco Evenepoel won the fifth stage on Saturday
Evenepoel hoped Van Wilder could help avoid sprint
To avoid the stage ending in a bunch sprint, Evenepoel had wanted his teammates to push the pace. “In the end, our plan didn’t go quite as expected. The idea was for Ethan (Hayter, ed.) and Ilan (Van Wilder, ed.) to go full gas on the final climb, but due to circumstances, Ilan wasn’t there. That was unfortunate, but we tried. I can live with that.”
The next few weeks will be a big challenge for Evenepoel. He is targeting both the World and European Championships, where he’ll ride in the Belgian national colors. In 2026 he will no longer ride for Soudal-Quick Step anyway, but for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. “My plan now? First rest day without the bike tomorrow, then some solid high-intensity training sessions,” he told Sporza.
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Remco Evenepoel is also reigning world time trial champion
Evenepoel aiming for two disciplines at Worlds
"We’re going to fine-tune everything some more, and focus especially on high-intensity efforts. Once that’s done, we’ll just hope everything goes well," said the reigning world champion in both the time trial and road racing. "I’ll be focusing on both disciplines. In the coming days, I’ll alternate between my time trial bike and my regular road bike. Both courses suit me well."
There may still be a training camp in Spain, but Evenepoel was secretive about that. "I’m not going to say. Otherwise, people will start showing up there again. In Rwanda, it can go either way. It can rain like it did here this week, but it can also be hot — and it’s at altitude. So we’ll be working on some very specific things. A combination of heat and altitude stimuli."
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- I’m still learning the calendar: is cyclocross mainly preparation for the spring classics, or does he race it as a separate goal as well? I’d love to see him back in the mud.jeremya04-11-2026
- The article makes it sound as if Roubaix is the only classic where he has a realistic shot. He’s been close in Flanders too, and one good tactical day can change everything.jennifer1904-11-2026
- Milan-Sanremo and Roubaix is a pretty special pair of Monuments. Any clues yet on which cyclocross races he’ll target?andrewf04-11-2026
- He’s right to be realistic about Flanders with Pogačar and Evenepoel around, but you can’t count Van Aert out on those roads. If he gets the right opportunity, he has the engine and experience to take it.davidm04-11-2026
- That Roubaix win felt like such a release after all the near-misses. Brilliant to hear that joy outweighed relief for Wout.patriciaw04-11-2026
- Why would a mountain time trial be different from a normal one? Is it just that the riders have to climb the whole course?samanthak03-11-2026
- I don’t quite buy the “fear of failure” argument. Riders can race the Giro and still have confidence in July; it comes down to recovery and planning, doesn’t it?patriciaw03-11-2026
- The Giro-Tour double is a massive ask, even for the very best. Pogačar made it look almost routine in 2024, but that’s hardly a sensible benchmark for everyone else!pedalpowe2903-11-2026
- Bakelants makes a fair point: if the 2027 Tour really suits Remco, he can’t afford to dilute the build-up. That 37km flat TT will be tempting, mind.julien03-11-2026
- Mont Blanc sounds like a spectacular finish, though four climbs on the final day might be a bit much after eight hard stages. Hope the route details are clear soon.raceready703-11-2026