{"id":777401,"date":"2026-07-03T10:00:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T10:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/777401\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T10:00:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T10:00:15","slug":"evenepoel-is-in-top-physical-verbal-form-at-the-tour-de-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/777401\/","title":{"rendered":"Evenepoel is in top physical & verbal form at the Tour de France"},"content":{"rendered":"

Press conferences for major stage races can sometimes feel a bit formulaic, but that\u2019s usually not the case with Remco Evenepoel<\/a>. Quite the opposite, in fact: after more than two months away from racing<\/a>, the Belgian rider from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe was in top form\u2014both physically and mentally\u2014in Barcelona. And he conducted himself with great professionalism, by the way.Anyone who saw Evenepoel walking into a small side room at the Sant Pau Recinte Modernista could tell right away that something was different. Speaking with colleagues from In de Waaier, Evenepoel revealed<\/a> that he has indeed lost nearly four kilograms since Li\u00e8ge\u2013Bastogne\u2013Li\u00e8ge, but that his power output has remained more or less the same. 1 + 1 = 2, and in this case, that means less weight + the same power output = riding faster uphill.<\/p>\n

Read more below the video!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The fact that we didn\u2019t see Evenepoel in action after Li\u00e8ge was also related to that. \u201cFor me personally, it was the best decision not to race anymore after Li\u00e8ge\u2013Bastogne\u2013Li\u00e8ge. That way, I had plenty of time to prepare as thoroughly as possible. I also had to switch trainers after Li\u00e8ge, and that was a major reason for not competing in any more races afterward. That way, I could be sure that the collaboration with my new coach<\/a> would go smoothly right from the start.\u201d<\/p>\n

“Everything actually went very smoothly; I did everything I could to be in the best possible shape. Now we’ll have to wait and see if that was the right approach. Of course, it’s easy to say that now; we won’t know how it really turned out until after the Tour,” says the Belgian, who now knows how things work.<\/p>\n

Evenepoel on the team time trial and shared leadershipWe\u2019ll kick things off on Saturday in Barcelona with a team time trial<\/a>, which should suit the three-time world time trial champion. \u201cThe biggest difference is that you\u2019re dealing with a more technical aspect of riding with eight riders instead of just one. That\u2019s obviously the most important thing to remember. With the new rules, I think it\u2019s also a bit easier to divide up the tasks; after all, you can drop the heavier riders as soon as you start climbing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evenepoel didn\u2019t want to reveal too much about his exact position in the Red Bull train just yet. \u201cYou were at the training session, so if you look at the photos, you\u2019ll probably see it. I\u2019m not going to say anything more about it\u2014you\u2019ll see for yourselves. The starting order is the starting order, and the finishing order is the finishing order. We\u2019re not going to give too much away beforehand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is fielding two team leaders<\/a>, who were both present at Thursday\u2019s press conference: the outgoing Evenepoel and the somewhat introverted Lipowitz. While Evenepoel is completely in his element in front of the press, Lipowitz mostly sticks to scripted answers and remarks like \u201cthere isn\u2019t much more to add.\u201d When Lipowitz happened to say a little more than usual, Evenepoel even gave him an encouraging thumbs-up.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, it all comes down to the bike. \u201cWe\u2019ve known each other for a long time and have raced against each other many times, so I think we\u2019re well prepared for this. We rode the Tour of Catalonia together, where Florian finished third overall and I finished fifth. I think there was one day back then when we had to work for each other and make a tactical adjustment or sacrifice. That worked out well, so as far as I\u2019m concerned, there\u2019s nothing else special to say about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more below the photo!<\/p>\n

\"florian-lipowitz-remco-evenepoel\"\/Evenepoel claps back at the press ahead of the Tour de France<\/p>\n

When a Dutch journalist then asks about Evenepoel\u2019s personal goals, things heat up a bit. \u201cIt\u2019s no coincidence that this question comes from a Dutch journalist. Winning a stage, for sure; winning the team time trial; and taking the yellow jersey on the first day\u2014that\u2019s our ambition as a team. And besides that\u2014because I know where you\u2019re going with this, you want to hear me say that I want to be on the podium and that Florian wants that too\u2014of course we want to finish on the podium.\u201d<\/p>\n

“Whether it’s with him or with myself: if we handle it the right way without wasting unnecessary energy, it’s good for both of us and for the team. We both want to repeat what we\u2019ve done in the past: finish on the podium behind Tadej and Jonas, and try to stay ahead of the rest as much as possible,\u201d Evenepoel said in his interview.<\/p>\n

A German journalist then wraps up by asking what the two want to learn from each other on a personal level, precisely because of their differences in personality. \u201cThat\u2019s exactly why we don\u2019t need to learn anything from each other, right? You just have to be yourself. It\u2019s as if I were to ask you, \u2018What do you want to learn from the other journalists here?\u2019 Then you\u2019d think the same thing: I am who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

“That’s exactly why we’re starting with two team leaders; we have different strengths and do our own thing in our own way. In any case, I’m happy with who I am, so I wouldn’t want to change that. I assume Florian is also happy with who he is and doesn\u2019t want to change that either. It was a somewhat strange question, but anyway…\u201d<\/p>\n

And just like that, the 16 minutes with Evenepoel in Barcelona flew by!<\/p>\n