Tour plot twist in the making? Evenepoel’s father drops striking remark about Pogacar that "comes from the heart of the peloton"

It is still far from certain that Evenepoel will be allowed to ride the Tour on behalf of his new team. “We will now wait for the routes of the other major tours before finalizing the season plans for the leaders,” said brand-new Chief of Sports Zak Dempster. “Of course, we are looking at the Tour route with the classification in mind.”

If Evenepoel does go, the Belgian seems likely to come up against Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard again. The two stars have dominated the last five editions of the Tour, sharing the overall victories three (for Pogacar) to two (for Vingegaard). Logically, the two will be there in 2026, right? Right?!

“Are you sure Pogacar will be competing?” Patrick Evenepoel questions the world champion's participation. “You always talk about Pogacar, but I don't get the impression that he will be competing in the Tour this year. He wants to ride the Giro and the Vuelta. That's what I've heard from the peloton,” Evenepoel's father drops a tiny bombshell.

In Pogacar's absence, Papa Patrick sees opportunities for his son. According to the Belgian, the short time trial on day sixteen won't make much difference. “You don't win the Tour with a time trial anyway. You win the Tour in the mountains. Whether there's a 40, 50, or 60-kilometer time trial, I don't think it changes anything. In the last week, you can still have a three-minute lead and lose ten minutes in one stage.”

Father Patrick is reluctant to discuss his son's schedule for next year. "We don't talk much about racing. The season is over; it's up to him and his new team to decide how to organize their schedule. Anything can happen. We saw it last year: an illness, a simple accident, and everything went down the drain."

While Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is waiting for the Giro and Vuelta routes to be announced before deciding who will start where, Patrick Evenepoel sees his son leading the team in the Tour. ”Everyone knows he is mentally very strong. In his first Tour, he made it to the podium. Last year, he wasn’t ready, that’s clear.”

“I believe that with a perfect winter, with very good preparation, without bad luck, he can be 100% ready for the Tour and achieve an outstanding result,” Evenepoel's father continues.

And then, of course, a dream about the yellow jersey after day one cannot be missing. “I think it's achievable. And I especially think that if he goes to the Tour, they will try to achieve a very good result. But both Vingegaard and Pogacar will want the yellow jersey,” concludes the Belgian.