Evenepoel looks to 2027: Giro d'Italia doubtful

Remco Evenepoel already has the 2027 season in his sights, and for those who play fantasy cycling, his words mean a lot. The Belgian has announced that he will start later than in 2026 and that he will be even more selective in his choice of races.

In an interview with Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws , given over the Chrono des Nations weekend, Evenepoel reviewed his first year with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. At the Chrono des Nations, he closed the season with his thirteenth victory of 2026. "A long one, but overall beautiful," he summed up. "With some ups and downs, but fortunately the ups outweighed the downs."

The highlight was a second-place finish in the Tour de France behind Tadej Pogačar , with two stage wins. At 26, Remco racked up six wins in the first 10 days of the season. He then won his fifth Clásica San Sebastián, the Quebec GP, and the European road race title. He also secured his fourth time trial world title, which earned him a shared record.

However, the picture hasn't been entirely positive, and this is a useful piece of information for those lining up the team. Evenepoel has always been a rider with inconsistent performances. After a lightning start, with three wins at the Challenge Mallorca and two stages plus the general classification at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, at the UAE Tour he was far from the pace of the best on the climbs. At the Volta a Catalunya, he didn't manage higher than fifth place.

At the end of the season, despite the European title, he squandered a great opportunity at the Road World Championships in Montreal, with the absence of Pogačar. He also faded at the decisive moment of the Giro di Lombardia. "The World Championships road race and the Giro di Lombardia weren't good, and we'll definitely discuss it internally soon," he admitted. "And the worst feeling I had was at the UAE Tour. I just didn't feel good there."

Remco's answer: seven hours in the saddle in October

Evenepoel has already decided how to fix the problem at the end of the race. While almost all his colleagues are starting to drop back, last Wednesday he completed a long training session lasting over seven hours. "I felt like I'd lost something in the final hour of the race in recent weeks, both at the World Championships and in Lombardia. That's why I wanted to do another long endurance ride," he explained. "The weather was beautiful. And I had fun. I just wanted to do it. And with the European champion jersey on... it boosted my morale."

After addressing this topic, Evenepoel believes "the 2026 book can be closed." The Belgian already has some ideas on how to organize 2027.

2027: Less rush, more preparation

"One thing's for sure: I won't be competing as early as this year," he said, referring to his two wins in Mallorca at the end of January. "As a newcomer to the team, it was pretty normal. I wanted to test myself, integrate as much as possible into the group, and win as quickly as possible. Next year will be different."

The Belgian champion also confirms his selective approach, despite the criticism he received in 2026 for skipping all the races between Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April and the start of the Tour de France in July. "We've also realized that I need very good preparation periods for the big goals. So we'll plan them even more specifically. And fewer races close together, as happened a few times in 2026," he said.

Tour again or Giro d'Italia?

The big question in the coming weeks is the main objective. Evenepoel could repeat the build-up to the Tour after this year's success, or be tempted by the Giro d'Italia .

Remco hasn't raced the Giro since 2023. Back then, Covid-19 forced him to withdraw while he seemed on course for victory, following his first Grand Tour win at the Vuelta a España the previous year. If organizers include several time trials in the 2027 route, the opportunity may be too good to pass up.