Remco Evenepoel wants to make the Tour de France difficult for Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard – but he won't be able to do more this year

This year, the French are celebrating an anniversary they would rather forget. It's been 40 years since Bernard Hinault, the last time a local rider won the Tour de France. Belgium has been waiting even longer than France for a Tour winner. This cycling-mad country, of all places, last produced an overall winner in 1976: Lucien Van Impe. Unlike in France, where there is no contender for the Tour victory, the Belgian public is pinning its hopes on Remco Evenepoel.

Belgians have long compared Evenepoel to Eddy Merckx , the most successful cyclist in history. Merckx's track record includes five victories each in the Tour and the Giro, one triumph in the Vuelta, and 19 victories across all five Monuments – that's the benchmark Belgium applies to the 25-year-old Evenepoel. He rejects comparisons to Merckx, saying he wants to write his own history. Evenepoel's stance is understandable, but public pressure remains.

His performances last year, in particular, fueled comparisons with cycling idol Merckx. Evenepoel seemed to be succeeding at everything. In Paris, he won gold in the road race and the time trial, his first ever ; at the Tour de France, he was at times on par with the greats Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, finishing third overall and named best young rider. And in Zurich, at the end of the season, he won his second World Championship time trial gold .

Evenepoel is a multi-talented, jack-of-all-trades on two wheels . He excels in the mountains and in time trials. With his victory at the 2022 Vuelta, he has proven that he also has the stamina for three-week tours. But will that be enough to one day overtake the dominant riders Pogacar and Vingegaard?

Evenpoel reiterated last week before the Grand Départ in Lille that his ultimate goal is to win the Tour and the Giro d'Italia. However, Evenpoel also said: "I'm not here to fight Pogacar and Vingegaard, but to make it harder for them." The first priority is to close the gap to the favorites. How will he achieve that? "My coach is responsible for that," Evenpoel said.

Hardly anyone believes Evenepoel will take the overall victory in Paris on July 27. His preparation for this season has been complicated. Last December, he crashed into a suddenly opening car door during training and suffered serious injuries: fractures to his shoulder blade, ribs, and wrist, as well as a dislocated collarbone.

On social media, he wrote that he had doubts about his future, adding: "It was definitely the toughest fight of my career." Before the Tour, he said he needed an injury-free season to truly challenge Pogacar and Vingegaard.

Evenepoel also felt the rigors of cycling in the opening stages of the Tour. At the opening race in Lille, he lost valuable seconds in the overall standings in a wind-edge race. On Monday, on the third stage, he crashed in the finale but escaped unscathed, apart from a few abrasions.

A video that circulated after the opening stage also caused a stir. It showed Evenepoel allegedly refusing to sign a boy's autograph. He can be seen and heard telling the boy, in a friendly but firm manner: "Please step out of the way." On social media, he clarified that he had signed dozens of autographs after cycling out and taking a shower. "I never leave children out in the wind. Thank you, dear media, for always showing only the negative things."

Evenepoel is in the spotlight at the Tour, and every twitch is aired in public. This has become normal for him; after all, he's considered the most promising candidate for a podium finish behind Pogacar and Vingegaard. However, for the truly great triumph, he's probably missing a few percent in terms of performance and, above all, a strong team. Pogacar at UAE and Vingegaard at Visma – Lease a Bike are supported by a star-studded ensemble that subordinates everything to the captain's Tour victory. Evenepoel, on the other hand, is unlikely to have any valuable dominoes at his disposal, especially on the mountain stages.

A team change is therefore looming. There are strong indications that Evenepoel will leave his team, Soudal Quick-Step, after this season – despite his contract running until 2026. On the one hand, he is said to be dissatisfied with his current annual salary of four to five million euros and is hoping for a salary of seven million. On the other hand, Evenepoel is said to be looking for a team that will build a strong squad around him. Soudal Quick-Step lacks the budget for this.

On the sidelines of the Tour de France start in Lille, it was reported that the German team Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and the British team Ineos had expressed interest in signing him. As usual, no one has confirmed these negotiations. Changes in cycling can only be decided and communicated from August 1st .

First up, Evenepoel has a pleasing date: On Wednesday, he will compete in the only flat time trial of the Tour. He is considered the clear favorite on the 33-kilometer course around Caen.

And the Belgian fans? Next year, they'll be celebrating an anniversary they'd rather forget: 50 years without a Tour victory.