<\/p>\n
\u201cEvenepoel has a big engine, but the problem, unfortunately for him, is the mountains. His build does not really make him a climber. It\u2019s a shame, because with his potential and his character, he can do great things, but if he has Vingegaard and Pogacar in front of him, everything becomes difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pressure versus instinct<\/p>\n
The observation is not new, but Delgado\u2019s reasoning adds a sharper edge. The issue, in his view, is not simply that Evenepoel is weaker on long climbs, but that he tries to compensate for that gap in a way that ultimately works against him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like Evenepoel\u2019s character, he reminds me of Bernard Hinault. Very strong mentally, but I think he puts too much pressure on himself to be even better in the mountains. If I can give him one piece of advice, it\u2019s to climb at his own pace, like in a time trial. He should not try to follow Vingegaard and Pogacar, otherwise he risks blowing up.\u201d<\/p>\n
That tension between ambition and restraint sits at the heart of Evenepoel\u2019s current evolution. The Belgian has built his reputation on racing on the front foot, trusting his engine and committing fully when he senses an opportunity. It is the same instinct that has brought success in time trials and one day races, but in the high mountains against the most complete climbers in the sport, the margins are far less forgiving.<\/p>\n
Delgado\u2019s point is therefore as much tactical as it is physiological. Matching accelerations from riders like Pogacar and Vingegaard is not simply a question of strength, but of timing and energy management across repeated efforts. In that context, riding to one\u2019s own limit rather than reacting to others becomes a necessity rather than a choice.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s complicated, because with his character, he wants to be with the two champions. In Spanish, we say you have to keep a cool head in those moments. To follow or not to follow, that is the question.\u201d<\/p>\n
Classics strength versus Tour ambition<\/p>\n
The timing of those comments is significant. Evenepoel\u2019s immediate focus turns toward Li\u00e8ge\u2013Bastogne\u2013Li\u00e8ge, a race that has already suited his strengths and one where his aggressive style can be fully expressed without the same sustained climbing pressure seen in Grand Tours.<\/p>\n
Yet the wider picture remains unchanged. The Belgian is still set to take on Pogacar and Vingegaard at the Tour de France, stepping into a direct confrontation that will inevitably be decided in the mountains Delgado highlights.<\/p>\n
That dual ambition underlines the balancing act in front of him. One day races offer a terrain where his qualities can be decisive, while the Tour demands a different kind of control, one that may require a shift away from instinctive racing toward a more measured approach.<\/p>\n
Delgado\u2019s analysis does not close the door on Evenepoel\u2019s chances. If anything, it reinforces the idea that the gap is not purely physical, but conditional on how he chooses to race when the defining moments arrive. Against the sport\u2019s two dominant climbers, the difference may not be whether he can follow, but whether he should.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cEvenepoel has a big engine, but the problem, unfortunately for him, is the mountains. His build does…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":534803,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,9046,109976,7133,101,8782,6549,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-534802","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-jonas-vingegaard","10":"tag-pedro-delgado","11":"tag-remco-evenepoel","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-tadej-pogacar","14":"tag-tour-de-france","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=534802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/534803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=534802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=534802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=534802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}