Remco Evenepoel's program for 2026 is not yet known, but rumors are growing that the Belgian is increasingly tempted to make his debut at the Tour of Flanders. However, Johan Bruyneel advises his compatriot against debuting in De Ronde. The former team director sees no benefit in participating, only risks.
Evenepoel has sent two proposed race programs to the management of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. One is a ‘classic program’ with the classics and the Tour de France; the other a combination of the Giro d’Italia and the Tour. No final decisions have been made yet within the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe camp, but according to Het Laatste Nieuws, “the flirtation with the Tour of Flanders is growing stronger in Evenepoel’s mind.”
Bruyneel says in The Move podcast that he has also read the rumor and is ‘absolutely not a fan’ of the idea. “Tour of Flanders… Remco is not Pogacar. De Ronde is such a specific race. I don’t see any advantage in it, there are many risks. By definition, Remco is not the best at positioning. And if there’s one race where positioning is key… Even if you live there, but have never raced it, you can forget about it.”
“I myself lived at the foot of the Bosberg and raced the Tour of Flanders once, but I said, ‘Okay, I’m never coming back to this crazy race’. And I never did. I don’t know what it would bring Remco. Of course, the Belgian fans would love it, but I don’t really see him playing a role in the race. And if that’s not the case, why do it? It’s just unnecessary risks.”
Previous setbacks
Bruyneel says that as a team director he would strongly advise against participation in the Tour of Flanders. “Let’s not forget that Remco is constantly recovering from bad luck. First his crash in Lombardia, when he fell hard from that bridge. Then his crash in the Basque Country – broken collarbone, ribs, you name it… And last winter it was very difficult to come back from a car accident. He doesn’t need another case like that. And to put him in the setting of the Tour of Flanders…”
“They’ll call me old-fashioned and too conservative, but if I were the one giving him advice – maybe he wouldn’t listen, probably not – then I think this, if confirmed, is a bad idea.”
