Losing weight and other reasons why Evenepoel will not compete until the Tour: 'I still believe in the Evenepoel who excels in stage races'

Remco Evenepoel will face one of the most atypical preparations of his career before the 2026 Tour de France. The leader of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe has not competed in any race since Liège-Bastogne-Liège and will continue to do so until the start of the Tour on July 4 in Barcelona, a decision that will lead him to accumulate up to 68 days without competing.

Remco Evenepoel will risk the Tour without competing for 68 days: Red Bull's strategy to "maintain control"

This measure has generated debate in the peloton, especially because direct rivals for the Tour, such as Seixas, Almeida, Ayuso, or Del Toro, will be at the Critérium du Dauphiné, and others like Pogacar, Pidcock, or Van der Poel will be at the Tour de Suisse. However, both his team and Belgian national coach Serge Pauwels defend that this specific preparation may be the best way for Evenepoel to arrive at the Tour at his highest level.

Red Bull bets on training and altitude

Although initially the Dauphiné was on the Belgian's calendar, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe modified the plans in early May. Since then, Evenepoel has been working on a long preparation block in Sierra Nevada focused on recovery, altitude adaptation, and specific mountain work.

The team explained that "long endurance training sessions form the basis" of this period and that later the work will focus on more specific efforts. The goal is for the Olympic champion to be prepared to perform at his best in the major climbs of the Tour.

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The decision also fits with the new structure surrounding Evenepoel. After an irregular first part of the season, the team brought in Tim Heemskerk, former coach of Jonas Vingegaard at Visma-Lease a Bike, to lead the Belgian's preparation for the grand tours.

In statements to WielerFlits, Belgian national coach Serge Pauwels fully supported the approach.

"In the past, we have seen that Remco usually comes out of these types of training bubbles in very good shape for the grand tours or championships. I don't think that's the problem. In winter, the same thing happens, and then he wins from his first race. In training, you can also focus and work on all the aspects you still want to perfect. The time of needing to compete to be in shape is over," Pauwels explained to the Dutch media.

The coach believes that specific work offers advantages that racing does not allow.

"Although I still think that competing is not a bad thing, perhaps he just wants to keep all the mental focus on the Tour. Doing everything perfectly and controlling everything. And that, of course, is achieved better through training," he added.

Weight and mountain, keys in Remco's transformation

The strategy also responds to a reality that Evenepoel has found in recent years: performing at his best in the classics and competing for the overall in the Tour requires different physical profiles.

Pauwels explained that "the classics require a different type of effort than what determines the overall classification of the Tour in the climbs." Therefore, the preparation involves modifying training, working on specific mountain intervals, and even seeking a slight reduction in weight.

"Perhaps one or two kilos less. These are things you can control perfectly during training and somewhat less during competition," he pointed out.

Moreover, he reminds us that the withdrawal from the Dauphiné does not only mean losing a week of competition.

"It's not just about that week. Before, you have to reduce the training load for several days, and then you need time to recover. In the end, we are talking about approximately two weeks. They are not two lost weeks, but rather two weeks in which you have less capacity to correct things or work exactly on the aspects you want to improve," he argued.

The challenge of becoming a podium contender again

The big question is whether this preparation will be enough to return Evenepoel to the level shown in the 2024 Tour de France, where he finished third.

Since then, the Belgian has shone mainly in one-day races, championships, and explosive tests, while his results in WorldTour stage races have been more irregular.

Despite this, Pauwels remains convinced that Evenepoel can compete for the overall in the grand tours.

"I still believe in the Evenepoel who can compete in stage races. Why would I stop believing in him? He has already won the Vuelta and finished third in the Tour. In that team, they have the necessary knowledge to get him to the start in the right conditions. And with such specific and professional preparation, I believe everything will go well," assured the Belgian coach to WielerFlits.

An increasingly difficult Tour

Pauwels' optimism does not prevent him from recognizing that the competition has never been stronger.

"We have a top-level Vingegaard, perhaps as good as the one who won the Tour twice. Pogačar certainly has not gotten worse. And there is also Paul Seixas, who will probably also get into the fight for the overall classification. If we look at those three riders in perspective, we are living in a very particular time in cycling," he stated.

Still, he concluded with a show of confidence in his compatriot: "Remco clearly has his place among them."

With 68 days without a number and a completely controlled preparation from Sierra Nevada, Evenepoel will arrive at the Tour de France as one of the great experiments of the season. The question is whether training can replace competition when he will face two rivals who have dominated stage cycling in recent years: Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard.