Remco Evenepoel has only had time to celebrate the best Tour de France of his career. Less than 24 hours after stepping onto the podium of the Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es as the second overall finisher, the Belgian put on a race number again and claimed victory at the Natourcriterium in Aalst, his hometown, on a day that served as a tribute to his performance in the Grande Boucle and as preparation for his next big goal: the Cl\u00e1sica de San Sebasti\u00e1n this Saturday.<\/p>\n
The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider took victory in the traditional Belgian criterium, finishing ahead of the new Belgian national champion, Rune Herregodts (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), and Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-Quick-Step), in front of a crowd that, according to Flemish media, numbered around 75,000 spectators.<\/p>\n
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From the podium in Paris to victory in Aalst in less than a day<\/p>\n
On Sunday afternoon, Evenepoel was celebrating in Paris the second place in the Tour de France 2026 alongside Tadej Poga\u010dar and Isaac del Toro. Hours later, after the podium ceremony, team dinner, and sponsor commitments, the Belgian barely had time to rest before returning to Belgium.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe celebrated a bit with the team, with some food and drink. In the end, I went to bed around two-thirty in the morning. It was a short night,\u201d explained the double Olympic champion to Belgian media.<\/p>\n
Despite the accumulated fatigue after three weeks of competition, Evenepoel once again put in a strong performance and took victory in a festive event, very common in Belgium and the Netherlands after the conclusion of the Tour.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s my city, and this race fits perfectly into my schedule. It allows me to stay active before San Sebasti\u00e1n,\u201d he pointed out.<\/p>\n
The Belgian also acknowledged that he has not yet fully processed what he achieved during the Tour.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t have too much energy left, but I do have a lot of motivation. Everything that has happened this month still hasn’t settled in. Now I will stay focused until Saturday, and then I will have time to process it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The best Tour de France of his career<\/p>\n
The second place achieved in the Tour represents Evenepoel’s best result in the French race and makes the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider the first Belgian cyclist to finish second in the general classification since Lucien Van Impe in 1981.<\/p>\n