Remco Evenepoel believes he can challenge Tadej Pogacar at next year’s Tour de France, although he knows it will be very difficult.
The 25-year-old Belgian rider, who won Olympic gold in both the road race and time trial at the Paris Games, will lead Red Bull–BORA–Hansgrohe alongside Germany’s Florian Lipowitz. Their aim is to win the team’s first Tour de France title.
Pogacar is still the clear favourite as he looks to win the race for a fifth time.
Evenepoel said his goal is to become better than Pogacar, even though he knows how hard that will be. He explained that joining his new team is an important step in helping him improve and reach a higher level.
Although Evenepoel beat Pogacar in the time trial at the World Championships, Pogacar finished well ahead of him at the Giro di Lombardia later in the season.
When asked if he believes he can win the Tour de France, Evenepoel answered yes, but said everything must go well with his winter training and early-season races. He feels he needs to improve his high-intensity efforts so he can stay with Pogacar for longer when he attacks.
The 2026 Tour de France will start in Barcelona on 4 July.
