The King of the Belgians stands ready. They have booked out the Grand Place in Brussels for 1 August, the week after the Tour de France. Whoever are the most famous Belgian musicians of the moment, let’s say it’s still Gotye, have been scheduled.
This will all be needed, of course, for Remco Evenepoel‘s victory celebration after the 26-year-old returns home with his maillot jaune, fresh from winning the Tour, the first Belgian champion since Lucien Van Impe in 1976. Three wins from three for his new team, Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, and the hype train is very much on the rails.
News editor at Cycling Weekly, Adam brings his weekly opinion on the goings on at the upper echelons of our sport. This piece is part of The Leadout, a newsletter series from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here. As ever, email adam.becket@futurenet.com – should you wish to add anything, or suggest a topic.
At a new team, backed by the might of Red Bull, a new level has been unlocked for Evenepoel, which was never quite there at Soudal Quick-Step. The super-domestiques, the sport science, the organisation, and the co-leader in Florian Lipowitz. This, combined with his natural talent, will likely mean more is to come, perhaps more consistency.
The new edge already seems to be there. Three races, three wins is Evenepoel’s record for 2026 to date. Of course, this is qualified by the fact they came at Challenge Mallorca, which could be seen as a cross between a warm-up and serious racing, but they are still elite events. He has won everything put in front of him so far, what more could he do?
Bigger challenges will come this week, at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana stage race, and then the UAE Tour later in February. If the momentum continues there, then the hype will too. It’s easy to think that life would be easier for him if he was another nationality, rather than the superstar he automatically is in Belgium.
Of course, none of this means he will win the Tour de France this summer. There is the TTT and an individual time trial, but an obstacle called Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) stands in the way, as well as Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), who will be coming off the Giro d’Italia. Even if he rides a perfect race, the pair have in the past seemed like a step above. It isn’t too much of a stretch, though, to picture the Red Bull rider on the second step.
The Tour is still the “dream”, he told Eurosport this week.
“When I was little, the only races I watched were [Tour of] Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, and the Tour de France,” he said. “It was one of the only races I knew.
“I won the Vuelta a España, and I was in a good position to win the Giro d’Italia. There are signs that it’s possible to win the Tour one day.
“It’s my dream, I will do everything to achieve it, to win it. I’ll make many sacrifices.”
Evenepoel is still just 26, and appears to be growing, discovering more about himself as a rider. Now finally at a super-team, things could click for him, and allow him to find a new level. Two years younger than Pogačar, three than Vingegaard, there is still time for him to reach the very top.
I do think, perhaps not controversially, that if someone not called Tadej Pogačar is to win the Tour de France this summer, it will be Evenepoel, not Vingegaard. The latter has a distraction in the Giro, something the former does not.
2025’s race might not have gone the way he dreamed, however, on the small moments that bike races spin, it’s plausible that Evenepoel could benefit; it can’t always be Pogačar. Obviously, the Slovenian remains the favourite, but there’s an understudy ready to shine in the wings.
“I hope one day to be able to compete alongside him, and maybe even one day be at the front,” Evenepoel said modestly this week.
Three wins in January do not make a season, you only have to look at those who have struggled to convert Tour Down Under success to European glory in recent years, but it is a statement of intent.
Perhaps it’s worth putting down a deposit on the Grand Place, just in case. Even if it isn’t the yellow jersey, big things are on the horizon for Red Bull’s Belgian star. We should believe the hype.
This piece is part of The Leadout, the offering of newsletters from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here.
If you want to get in touch with Adam, email adam.becket@futurenet.com.
