Remco Evenepoel amazed by new collaboration with former Vingegaard coach heading into the Tour de France.

Remco Evenepoel worked alongside Koen Pelgrim as a trainer at Soudal Quick-Step for many years. Once he made the move to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, Luxembourg’s Dan Lorang stepped in as coach. That was only temporary, though, because after a few months, Evenepoel now has a new coach. Tim Heemskerk defected from Visma | Lease a Bike, and his effect on Evenepoel's physique is clear to see.

The change of coach was one of the reasons we haven’t seen Evenepoel in action in the peloton in recent months. “I had to switch coaches after Liège, and that was a major reason why I didn’t compete in any more races after that. That way, I could be sure that the collaboration with my new coach would go smoothly right from the start.”

At first glance, that seems to have gone well: During the team presentation in Barcelona , Evenepoel noted that the scale showed nearly four kilograms less than it did around the time of “Liège.” Is this the influence of Heemskerk, who previously worked successfully with Jonas Vingegaard for years at his former team?

"He's a new kind of person to work with, but he has a wealth of knowledge. Maybe that's actually good for me, so I can learn more about all kinds of different aspects. I try to be very open with him, and the collaboration is going very well on both sides. The first few months were great, so I hope it stays that way for a long time,” said Evenepoel.

"Tim is a remarkable person, but he's also a fantastic coach. We were brought together, and for me, it was a completely different approach. That's also why we wanted to make the switch as quickly as possible back then—which worked out given the circumstances surrounding his departure from his previous team and that of my former coach."

While Lorang is heading to Lidl-Trek, Heemskerk—after a few months without a job—made the move to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. “The team managed to sign him right away, so it was a logical step for us to start working together immediately after my break following Liège.”