Evenepoel does not close the door on Roubaix

Remco Evenepoel closed his debut at the 2026 Tour of Flanders with a podium that confirms his ability to compete in the most demanding terrain of the classics, but it also opened an unexpected question regarding the next major event on the calendar. The Paris-Roubaix looms on the immediate horizon and, although his presence is not planned, the Belgian himself has left the door ajar.

After Flanders, Evenepoel leaves the option of Roubaix open, “I can’t promise anything”

After the race, Evenepoel was cautious when discussing a possible participation in the Hell of the North. “Right now it’s not in the plans, but it can be discussed,” he explained, making it clear that it is not a completely discarded option. Even so, his tone was more aligned with caution than surprise. “I think there are many possibilities that I won’t,” he added.

However, the context also weighs heavily. Evenepoel himself reminded that days before he had denied his presence at the Tour of Flanders and ended up lining up at the start, something that now conditions the way he expresses himself. “We have played enough with that, so at this moment it really isn’t the intention,” he commented with a laugh.

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This ambiguous tone remained when he was asked again about Roubaix in other meetings with the press. “Mathieu also told me,” he pointed out in reference to Van der Poel, one of the top favorites on the cobbles of northern France. “I leave a door open, but others may have already closed it. I can’t promise anything. I’m not going to say anything, because we have already lied enough,” he insisted, making it clear that even within the team there is no firm decision.

Thus, after a Tour of Flanders in which he demonstrated he was at the level of Pogacar and Van der Poel for much of the day, Evenepoel now becomes one of the focal points of attention for Paris-Roubaix. Not for what he has confirmed, but precisely for what he still has not wanted to rule out.