Remco Evenepoel has had an electric start with his new team, winning the Mallorca Challenge and taking the overall victory at the Tour of Valencia. Can he continue this momentum to challenge Tadej Pogacar in 2026 in both one-day races and the Tour de France?
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37 Comments
Not a chance 😂😂 I've got my options about what's going on at UAE like many more so until the UCI look into that nobody will challenge him
He just might defect Tadej from 2028 onward
uae tour mountain stage we will know
No. The difference in climbing abilities between them is a chasm
Can Remco challange Pogi? Sure, he has been doing it for few years now…. With not much succes, but he challanged him
I think Patrick Blake may be related to Pogi.
The Tour route isn't favorable for Evenepoel because there's climbing
Remco better learn how to position in the bunch. Also don’t know why people act like Pogi is getting “old” and can’t get better. MVDP is 31.
Why does Remco need to beat Pogacar to step up a level? He is getting better, more explosive and that is good enough.
YEAH! This should be a weekly^^
Dont ask can he challange pogi cuz no one can atm but ask can ge do better than vini ? Sounds more realistic
Hold your horses guys ,there was no genuine opposition whatsoever.😉🧐🤗
Yes!! As long as Tadej & Jonas don't show he has a chance.
He hasn't beaten anyone he wasn't expected to beat, it's a good start though.
At 26 you would expect him to be at his peak and improve this year. not sure that equate to him being able to challenge Pog given even Jonas has dropped Remco whenever he wanted.
His watts per kilo are going to have to go up dramatically this year in the TdF if he wants to challenge for the title.
A really big thing for Remco is that he might not be alone if he's dropped by Pog. This means that instead of 4th, he might have a stronger chance at second. He still also has to beat Jonas. One of Remco's Achilles heels is that he has an issue about endurance in long tours. Remco has to be more consistent in a long tour AND Pog and Jonas probably have to retire while Remco is still good.
Almeida is great but he still has no separation speed. Ulrich is the last diesel guy- maybe Evans- who did well without a super high top gear. Almeida is one of the top "page 2" riders, and a measuring stick, but he isn't quite there. Del Toro is stronger than Lipo. Visma would be much better if they didn't destroy guys like Jorgenson and Kuss. They will never be considered highly because of team tactics.
No.
I believe he still has the potential. Maybe not this year yet, but with more specific approach and support, and more tt km’s, why not? As a young rider, before his injuries , Remco has beaten Pogi quite often. (San Sebastian x2, Euro’s, Worlds). Hopefully he can have a good year without any bad luck, build on his good base, and we will see his full GT potential, hopefully this season rivalling with the likes of Vingegaard and Torres.
Isn't Jonas out of Catalunya?
no
Remco can win if 1. He rides a perfect race 2. Tadej crashes out 3. Jonas doesn’t start.
By "more of a challenge" to Tadej do you mean that he 'might get a little closer', that the gap between them might lessen? Remco is a fabulous rider and his start to 2026 indicates that he's decided to "race like Tadej" [as he once did], and that alone is exciting – BUT – in all the talk of Remco challenging Tadej's dominance in 2026 the pundits seem to be forgetting that he first needs to surpass a guy called Jonas, and to also dominate the 'next big thing' in Isaac before he becomes a serious threat to Tadej in the longer stage races, let alone the grand tours, he first needs to win the UAE tour and then the Giro before getting to Tadej – to date stage races have been Remco's achilles heel – maybe this year that might change? …it'll make for some exciting racing none the less – it's refreshing to see how aggressively he's riding to date, he's certainly got balls.
Nope, Remco will be left behind.
What a stupid question. There's zero chance, just lazy click bate.
In my opinion, Remco and his Red Bull team did not have a great performance in stage 3 of the volta comunitat valenciana. If they repeat that at the Tour de France, it could be problematic for both. The stage highlighted some technical flaws in Remco's approach that he still needs to correct, specifically the team didn’t commit for him 100%. Chris Horner provided a detailed analysis of that stage on The Butterfly Effect. However, the performance in stage 4&5 was spectacular in my opinion. He didn’t also beat Almeda in big margin so odds against Pogi are low. I also believe he has to face head to head to Jonas or Del Torro first before Pogi as Patrick mentioned.
It doesn’t matter which team or person is bringing for the tour fighting against pogi they are all amateurs, I am so scared this year the tour may be boring because of Pogis why of races and he is absolutely he is on another level for sure
I GC
Tadej will be definitly better,
But i see chances. If remco keeps this momentum (good training, winning races, no crashes)
In that senario i see chances for Remco in beating pogacar in Liège Bastogne Liège and the world championschip in Montreal
yes!!!!
Where is the energy level on this vid? Its the beginning of the season. Do you guys like cycling? Is this job too hard? These guys are using the wrong dope…..
No…He can’t. he can definitely win the first domestique spot for Tadej. 🙂
Definitely yes , if Tadej Pogačar crashes
Yes if tadej and jonas is not participate in the TDF 😂😂😂
If Remco can handle Del Toro at UAE Tour, and then Jonas at Volta a Catalunya (big IF). , he might have a slight chance holding Tadej's wheel until he decides to turn the screws.
No. Next question. 😛
He’s got a great chance to get 3rd!!
There’s an article explaining how impactful injuries are to riders. It’s not just losing the conditioning and work, put into a season. The type of catastrophic injuries, Jonas and Remco had, set them back at least a couple of years. When some question how pogacar suddenly created a huge gap on Jonas, the really bad injury explains it. Jonas seemed to fall off a cliff, compared to Pogacar, because his injury was so bad. The same affect happened to Remco, and why he didn’t build on the third place finish.
Primos has been written out the picture ?
Can Remco Evenepoel Challenge Tadej Pogacar ever? Answer is no chance