Remco Evenepoel Skips Tour of Flanders and Giro in 2026, Focus on Tour de France

Despite earlier reports, Remco Evenepoel will not participate in the Tour of Flanders for the first time in 2026. The Belgian announced this on Wednesday during the media day of his team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe.

There has been heavy speculation in recent weeks about Remco Evenepoel’s race program. All signs pointed to a debut in the Tour of Flanders, but we’ll still have to wait at least another year for Evenepoel’s first appearance in Vlaanderens Mooiste.

"I want to have a normal season, without any crazy stuff," he explains. "I want to complete a full season. In the future, participating in the Tour of Flanders will probably be an option. We’ve discussed it a lot, but first I need to get back to my normal level after a good winter. For now, my season is already busy enough."

Evenepoel plans to kick off his cycling year on Spanish soil. "I want to start with a time trial in Mallorca. Then I’ll go to the Tour of Valencia (February 4-8), the Tour of Catalonia (March 24-30), and then the Ardennes Classics," Evenepoel refers to the Amstel Gold Race (April 20), La Flèche Wallonne (April 23), and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (April 26).

No Giro, full focus on the Tour
After the Ardennes triple, the 25-year-old rider will take things a bit easier to then calmly prepare for the Tour de France. Evenepoel will, in other words, not start at the upcoming Giro d’Italia. Ahead of his main summer target, the Tour, he will race just one more event: the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (June 7-14), a race better known under its former name, the Critérium du Dauphiné.