Evenepoel: My gut says that if everything goes well, I can go for second place at the Tour
Exclusive interview with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s leader ahead of his 2026 debut in Mallorca
On Monday night, Remco Evenepoel took the short flight from Alicante to Mallorca ahead of the Challenge Mallorca, with his road season debut quickly approaching.
The Belgian announced his participation in the Spanish race back in December, at his first media appointment as a Red Bull rider, and with the introduction of the TTT on Thursday, and the discipline’s importance at this year’s Tour de France, his scheduling made complete sense.
Then, last night, Evenepoel added Friday’s and Saturday’s races in Mallorca to his calendar for what is already shaping up to be a massive season for the 26-year-old as he looks to compete for top honours at the Tour, and victories in every race he lines up at.
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“The schedule is to do the TTT, and then I’ll add Friday and Saturday. That wasn’t the plan, but the weather seems to be okay, and while I’m here, it’s better to race a little bit instead of coming here for just 25 minutes of racing, so I’ll add two more days of racing,” Evenepoel tells me after first looking across to his press officer for confirmation that he can break the news.
The addition of the Trofeo Serra Tramuntana and Trofeo Andratx - Pollença will provide Evenepoel with extra racing miles before his first WorldTour race of the season at next month’s UAE Tour. The objective is to use those two additional days of racing as a testing ground for his form and fitness.
“That’s the goal. I’m the type of rider who gets better from racing, so that’s actually the goal here. The parcours here should suit me, and it’s a good up and down terrain that’s always a bit punchy. On Saturday, we have the Puig Major as well, and that’s a long climb. I can find a bit of everything and some answers on how my winter went,” he says.