Evenepoel dreams of Tour de France overall win but acknowledges Pogacar and Vingegaard's roles
Remco Evenepoel believes he can take a new step in the Tour de France this coming summer. The Belgian considers himself capable, if everything goes well, of at least competing for second place in the general classification. How far he can really go, he says, largely depends on the form of Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard.
“Of course, it’s my dream to one day win the yellow jersey,” says Evenepoel, who already finished third in the 2024 Tour, in an interview with Irish journalist Daniel Benson. “I think the only two Grand Tours where I started without any problems were the 2022 Vuelta and the 2023 Giro. Ahead of the 2024 Tour, I also had a crash during the Tour of the Basque Country, so the preparation wasn’t ideal. It was good, but it could have been better.”
“I won that Vuelta (in 2022), and at the Giro, we were very strong and on track to win… The people who have worked with me for a long time know that I can be there if I have a flawless preparation. But, of course, the Tour is always different. My feeling is that if everything goes well, I can compete for that second place. For first place, it simply depends on how strong Tadej and Jonas are.”
Evenepoel says he is always confident, including about the Tour. “If we see that the numbers and the feeling are good to be up front, then I’ll go all out, that’s for sure. I think we will have to see if I can take more steps this season, and about my form in general. I hope it will be good enough. Will it be enough? I hope so. It would be my dream, and the team’s.”
Winning races
Regarding the 2026 season in general, Evenepoel hopes to win a lot again. “Just like in 2022, 2023, and 2024. I just want to have a smooth season, without major problems, big injuries, or illnesses. In every race I start, I want to compete for the win. That’s how I like to work and how I prefer to experience the season.”
