Red Bull dished out some surprises Wednesday in mapping out its grand tour plans for 2026: Evenepoel will share Tour duties with Lipowitz, and Roglič is off to the Vuelta.
Evenepoel was stunned to learn he’s sharing top billing at the Tour de France. (Photo: Max Fries/Red Bull)
Updated December 10, 2025 10:46AM
Remco Evenepoel is keeping it simple in his high-pressure debut season at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.
No Tour of Flanders. No return to the Giro d’Italia.
It’s all-in for the yellow jersey, with an interesting Tour de France leadership twist as the Evenepoel Era officially opens at the Red Bull-backed super team for 2026.
“I don’t want to take any risks,” Evenepoel said Wednesday. “A normal season, especially after everything that’s happened to me this year.”
Evenepoel might be taking center stage, but he’ll be sharing Tour leadership with Florian Lipowitz as Red Bull makes the bet that two is better than one against the unstoppable Tadej Pogačar in the quest for the yellow tunic.
Olympic champion Evenepoel also confirmed a compact race calendar, with a deliberate detour to skip potentially risky starts at the Giro d’Italia and the Tour of Flanders.
Meanwhile, Primož Roglič — who sat uncomfortably on stage as the Belgian media peppered Evenepoel with questions — will make a bid for a record fifth Vuelta a España title. Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari will spearhead the team’s Giro ambitions.
‘It’s not the end of the world’
Lipowitz will share top billing with Evenepoel at the Tour. (Photo: Maximilian Fries / Red Bull )
If Evenepoel was expecting solo billing at the Tour, he was in for a surprise.
Despite the Quick-Step buyout worth an estimated $50 million, Evenepoel will be sharing the spotlight at the Tour de France next season.
“I only found out yesterday that I’m riding the Tour,” Evenepoel said. “It’s still early to talk about it – it’s pretty new to me. We still have time to learn how to race together. But mostly, it’s a good thing. We can only try.”
Evenepoel seemed as stunned as everyone else that he would be co-leader with Lipowitz at the Tour.
“It’s not the end of the world to go with two leaders,” the Belgian said as he shared the stage with the young German, who matched Evenepoel’s third in 2025.
“The Tour means a lot to me. I finished third in my first participation. Last year was a completely different story. This will be the first time I’m going to the Tour with double leadership,” Evenepoel said.
Lipowitz — who confirmed a long-term deal to stay in Red Bull colors to shut down transfer rumors — said he welcomed the co-leadership blueprint.
“It’s always good to go to a grand tour with two leaders,” the German said. “I can also learn a lot from Remco. And together we can play a slightly different game.”
That plan worked against Pogačar in 2022 when now-Visma-Lease a Bike toppled Pogačar with the double punch of Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard.
Red Bull is hoping lightning strikes twice in what’s a bit of a stunner for everyone.
Odd man out? Sending Roglič to the Vuelta
Roglič will race the Vuelta to target a record fifth win. (Photo: Maximilian Fries / Red Bull Content Pool )
Another big shocker was in store for Roglič, who crashed out of the 2024 Tour and did not inspire in 2025 with eighth overall.
The team is packing him off to the Vuelta, where he will try to win a record fifth red jersey.
The Giro will also see double leaders — what can you expect with a team loaded with GC talent? — with Pellizzari and 2022 Giro winner Hindley heading to Italy in May.
New sports manager Zak Dempster outlined the team’s plan to spread the wealth across the three major grand tours.
“First, second, third, that has been the team’s grand tour record over the past two seasons,” Dempster said. “Of course, we want to continue in that direction and demonstrate an exciting style of racing that is part of our DNA.”
Evenepoel rules out Giro and Flanders
Evenepoel used his first Red Bull media day to announce the first pillars of his 2026 schedule. Nothing earth-shattering, no over-reaching.
He will debut with his new team on January 29 in the team time trial at the Challenge Mallorca, followed by Valencia, Catalunya, the Ardennes, and ultimately the Tour de France.
He admitted the Giro route tempted him, but duty calls when you’re one of cycling’s top-paid cyclists.
“I would have loved to have gone to the Giro. I was a real fan of the course,” he said. “If I combined the Giro and the Tour, there would be a lot to do in a short period, and it would be difficult to peak again at the world championships in Canada.”
The Giro-Tour double, and a world championships only six weeks after the Tour, proved unrealistic. Only Pogačar has proven he can do that.
Instead, Evenepoel wants to rebuild consistency in what he knows is a pivotal season in his already prolific career.
“We mainly want to have a normal season,” Evenepoel said flatly. “I want to get back to the level I was at before.”
After a rollercoaster 2025 season marked by an off-season injury, normal sounds pretty good right now.
Evenepoel’s 2026 race calendar
Mallorca Challenge — Jan 24–Feb 1
Volta a Valenciana — Feb 4–8
Volta a Catalunya — Mar 24–30
Amstel Gold Race — Apr 20
La Flèche Wallonne — Apr 23
Liège–Bastogne–Liège — Apr 27
Tour de France — Jul 5–27