Remco Evenepoel will not settle for second-best at 2027 Tour de France, or World Championships: 'I can head into the Alps with a nice lead'

"I'd give it an 8. I had some really good moments, but also some tough ones. But I have to say that, for the most part, I was performing at a high level this season. The Tour de France stands out—that was my best performance ever—and I also performed well at a few championships. In the Monuments, I was good, but not quite where I wanted to be. I wasn’t able to contend for the wins.”

"That's why I'd give the season an 8—also because I never stopped fighting. Take the Tour of Flanders, for example, where third place felt like a victory. It was my first time competing, but on my first attempt up the Paterberg, I was able to keep up with Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar. I was so close, but it was a cool experience. It was a consistent season, during which I learned a lot."

Evenepoel wants to take the peak performance he consistently demonstrated in 2026 and apply it to multiple races in 2027. “Take my time trials at championships; I’d like to show that same level of performance in the Grand Tour time trials as well. At the World Championships, I won by a minute over Filippo Ganna, and in the Chrono des Nations, I beat Jay Vine by more than two minutes. If I can do that in Grand Tours, I’m going to win a lot.”

"We need to aim for a higher baseline. And on a really great day, we could do even better. I’d like to make what’s going very well right now my standard. But this winter, we’ll have to see how and where we can achieve that, using the knowledge within the team, the support around me, and my own experience. My off-days have to be at a super-high level—that’s the leap I need to make.”

"I'm certainly quite happy about it. It's a step forward compared to previous years in terms of time trial distance. A 38-kilometer and a 33-kilometer individual time trial; the first one isn't very technical, with long, straight roads. That should suit me well. The time trial in Toulouse is flat, with a final climb—a three-minute climb—so that should suit me well, too."

"I need to be as fresh as possible going into those time trials and then go all out. It’s a great opportunity to win and gain time in the general classification. The route to the first time trial won’t be too tough, with no major mountains. I can head into the Alps with a nice lead; the course suits me better than it did in 2025. And back then, I finished second. I’ve shown that I can keep up on the climbs, too, when I’m in good form.”

"My main goal right now is to become world champion again. It’s the most important jersey in cycling, and the most beautiful one to wear. In the time trial, I now have four consecutive world titles, and I’d love to make that five in a row. It would be the first time anyone has won five times in a row. That’s how we always find something to motivate ourselves.”

"Becoming world champion in the time trial and on the road—that’s a big part of what’s on my mind. Riding in the rainbow jersey on both bikes—that’s never been done before. I managed to do it at the 2024 Olympics, so it would be something special if I were the only rider ever to achieve that at the World Championships. It would be cool if, for a moment, I were both world champion and Olympic champion in both disciplines."

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