Tour de France lets Remco Evenepoel and Red Bull dream: 'Want to win all three Grand Tours'

Remco Evenepoel looks back on the Tour de France with a sense of satisfaction. The Belgian rider from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe was at his best in the third week and ultimately finished second in the general classification. That was one spot higher than in 2024 and also a confidence boost for the future.

For two weeks, Evenepoel certainly didn’t look like he was among the top three in the Tour de France, but the turning point came in Stage 15. On the day that UAE Emirates-XRG put on a show with Tadej Pogacar and Isaac del Toro, Evenepoel slipped in between them and won the stage. He also won the time trial in Stage 16 in dominant fashion and was at his very best in the third week.

It earned him second place, between Pogacar and Del Toro on the podium in Paris. “I came into this race with a clear goal: to win a stage and finish on the podium in the general classification. It worked out—I even won two stages. I’m very happy with what we’ve achieved as a team.”

Team manager Patxi Vila echoed that sentiment on Eurosport. “I have to congratulate the entire team. We were at our best as a team, especially in the final week, so we’re very satisfied,” said the Spaniard, who emphasized: “Who knows what might have happened with Florian Lipowitz—maybe we would have had two riders on the podium. But that’s cycling, too. Florian will come back stronger.”

The Tour de France also showed CEO Ralph Denk that he’s making the right moves with his Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team. Evenepoel’s arrival was the subject of much discussion, but the Belgian ultimately proved his worth on the team backed by Red Bull’s millions. “A lot of new things were introduced this year that have helped us develop our work,” Vila agreed.

"That creates a new vibe. Remco has shown that he can aim for great things—perhaps even greater than ever before . " Evenepoel himself isn’t shying away from that either, as evidenced by his comments in Paris: “This shows that I don’t have to give up on my career goal just yet: winning all three Grand Tours.” He already won the Vuelta a España in 2022, so he’ll be back for the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France.

"Remco in this Tour was the best version of himself so far, partly because he really wants to be this kind of rider. We’ve already seen that he’s capable of more, but he wants to win Grand Tours, and this gives him—and the entire team—confidence,” said Vila, with Denk adding: “Second place is a huge success, because the general classification is what defines the Tour. We can build on this in the coming years.”

"Our dream remains to one day cross the finish line in Paris wearing the yellow jersey. We'll continue to focus on the Grand Tours."