Evenepoel at the Tour de France: never so thin!

The first major mountain day of the 2026 Tour de France is approaching, and optimism is sky-high at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe . Sports director Klaas Lodewyck makes no secret of his enthusiasm when talking about Remco Evenepoel : the Belgian champion arrives in the Pyrenees in the best physical condition his longtime collaborator has ever seen.

Before the Grand Départ, Evenepoel had already confirmed that he had lost almost four kilograms in preparation for the long climbs of the Tour, while maintaining his power output. This is a promising result, confirmed by Lodewyck's words: "He's probably the lightest I've ever seen so far. We should be very pleased with that."

Stage 6 , finishing in Gavarnie-Gèdre, represents the first real test for the top riders in the general classification: the Col d'Aspin (12 km at 6.5%) and the legendary Col du Tourmalet (17.1 km at 7.3%) stand out on the route, with the latter being reached approximately 40 km from the finish. For fantasy cyclists, this is the first real opportunity to see the gaps between the favorites.

Evenepoel arrived at this event after a relatively uneventful start to the Tour: he completed the team time trial, two rolling finishes, and five stages overall, placing him just 23 seconds behind Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard in the general classification. A minimal gap, leaving every tactical option open.

"So far, so good. The signs are positive," Lodewyck told Cyclingnews before stage five. "It's been a long time since I've seen Remco at this race weight. We're excited for the first day in the mountains."

The team's decision to forgo all competitive activity in the spring to focus on 68 days of intensive training seemed like a risky gamble, but the results seem to prove the coaching staff right. Lodewyck explains that this approach also has psychological benefits: Evenepoel appears more relaxed and less stressed than in previous Tours. "In the past, it was always a race against time to prepare for the Dauphiné, and then you either felt good or bad. This time, we respected both the training and the rest. When you start without any doubts, you approach the race with greater confidence."

But the shadow of the past is not lacking: the Tourmalet has held painful memories for Evenepoel. At the 2023 Vuelta, he was forced to arrive in crisis after the Col d'Aubisque; at the 2025 Tour, things were even worse, with the Belgian abandoning the race on that very climb. Tomorrow, therefore, there will also be an emotional and revenge component. Lodewyck, however, prefers to look ahead: "We shouldn't focus on this. Remco has already faced climbs much tougher than the Tourmalet. Let's focus on how things are now and move forward."