Remco Evenepoel has completed his first moments with Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. The Belgian has already met the entire team, traveled to California for several wind tunnel tests, and recently did so again in England. His initial impressions are more than positive, he shares in a dual interview with Johan Museeuw in HLN.
Evenepoel confirms to Museeuw that after all those years at Soudal Quick-Step, he was looking for a new structure, people to reignite his motivation. And so far, that’s working. "I think I made the right choice in that regard. I will adapt as best as I can to the new philosophy. And see what results it leads to. My first impressions have already been very positive."
"Everything is a bit more ‘structured’. For example, by January 1st, every rider will already know their complete training and race schedule for 2026. That’s how I like it. The team, including riders, counts over 200 people. Each with their own specific role and tasks, which at Soudal Quick-Step (+- 80 people, ed.) were more consolidated."
Evenepoel also elaborates on the wind tunnel tests. "During my wind tunnel sessions at Specialized in California, I was assisted by an extensive crew. Before: three people. Especially the input from aero enthusiasts Dan Bigham (Head of Engineering, ed.) and Jonny Wale (Technical Performance Manager, ed.) was huge. Not that they could change much anymore. But their small, sometimes crazy ideas did add value."
And so the Belgian is looking forward to the new season. A season that currently has an ‘A program’ with the classics and the Tour on the schedule and a ‘B program’ with the Giro and the Tour. "It’s nice to be able to look ahead. The past few months I’ve had to shake off the pressure and stress of negotiations and constantly having to keep things under wraps. At one point, that pressure became so great it led to some issues here and there. Losing just a few percent at that top level quickly affects your feeling and results."
