How Remco Evenepoel Changes Everything at the Tour of Flanders

The Tour of Flanders didn’t need more jet fuel, then Remco Evenepoel confirmed his debut.

The Belgian’s late/orchestrated call-up does more than add star power.

It injects another world-class motor into the season’s most volatile race that’s dictated by one man in the form of Tadej Pogačar.

Evenepoel’s last-minute addition could reshape how everyone else responds once the inevitable attacks come from the world champion.

“Everything depends on how I feel in general. But the best thing you can do is attack,” Evenepoel said Friday. “I wouldn’t be starting if I didn’t think I could win.”

Evenepoel’s presence Sunday in Antwerp not only adds another layer of drama — this is being hyped as a “G4” face-off among the top faves — it could change the race dynamics in significant ways.

With Evenepoel, any chase from behind could suddenly have more hope of doing the impossible of reeling in Pogačar when he’s loose off the leash.

Is it likely? No.

But for the first time, there’s at least a scenario where someone might make him sweat if he’s gone.

Evenepoel racing to win

Evenepoel is going to get gapped when Pogačar drops the hammer on Oude Kwaremont in crunch time at Sunday’s big battle in the final hour of racing.

So is just about everyone else, except maybe Mathieu van der Poel.

What could be different this time is what happens next.

The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe leader might be the extra jet engine the inevitable chase needs. His time trial horsepower could give wings to a dedicated group on the long road back to Oudenaarde.

Evenepoel didn’t give too much away about his tactic for Sunday.

“Everyone wants to win. Then it is difficult to ride against someone,” he said Friday. “In the end, it is man against man, and the strongest will win. I don’t think allies need to be found. The strongest always rides away.”

Racing Flanders for the first time, Evenepoel arrives as the wildcard the race hasn’t had in years.

Van Aert: ‘It’s always chaos’

Cycling’s biggest stars faced the media Friday ahead of Sunday’s big matchup in the monumental throwdown at De Ronde.

With Van der Poel and Wout van Aert also lining up, this is that rare chance for cycling’s four best and brightest classics stars to square off in a major monument in their pro team kits.

Pogačar is the five-star favorite, with MVDP lingering close behind. Van Aert and Evenepoel slot in to fill out the G4, a term dubbed by the Belgian press to hype up Sunday’s race even more.

“I wouldn’t put myself in that ‘G4’,” Van Aert said Friday. “I think that term is a bit of nonsense. People forget that Pogačar was way ahead of everyone in Strade and San Remo.”

Instead, he points to brutal truth that Pogačar is operating on a different level, and the rest are chasing in his dust.

It’s up to everyone else to put up a fight. Will Van Aert find some allies on the road even if they’re rivals at the start?

“I hope so, but it depends on how the race goes,” he said. “It’s always chaos, and things happen at Flanders that you don’t expect. It’s a bit pointless to talk about all the scenarios now.”

Van der Poel says bring it

The one rider who sees a big advantage in having Evenepoel at the start is Van der Poel.

The Dutch superstar is the only rider who’s consistently been able to match and beat Pogačar in these types of races.

Having Evenepoel deep into the race could be a plus, especially if Van der Poel finds himself going into the red.

“I’m glad he’s at the start. The more strong riders there are, the faster the race opens up,” Van der Poel said. “That’s not a disadvantage for me.”

The scenarios are endless for a race like Flanders, but Evenepoel is the type of rider who can single-handedly bend a race. And Van der Poel knows it.

Evenepoel will be doubly motivated after some misfires this spring, especially at the UAE Tour and again at the Volta a Catalunya.

Back on favored ground, Evenepoel will be racing on home roads with something to prove. Van der Poel will be watching closely.

“We definitely shouldn’t underestimate Remco,” Van der Poel said. “It’s his first time here, but he’s a top rider with a strong team around him.”

Pogačar not letting down guard

Even if he’s the five-star favorite, Pogačar knows better than to let down his guard against the Belgian aero bullet.

“It’s good to have a rider like Remco, who always wants to attack,” Pogačar said Friday. “He always goes for the win, no matter what. I think he can do a really great race on Sunday. We must not let him out of sight on Sunday.”

Many expect Pogačar to be alone off the front late in the decisive climbs.

But recent races have complicated that script.

E3 Saxo Classic, Dwars door Vlaanderen, and In Flanders Fields revealed that even the most explosive moves can be reeled back by an organized and committed chase.

“I think teams finally realized that if somebody attacks 60km to go, there’s still time to organize in the back,” Pogačar said. “If you work together and don’t just attack each other over the climbs, there’s more chance to catch the guy in the lead.”

The monument, six-hour distance will prove a back-breaker Sunday, however, so it could come down to a select epic battle between cycling’s biggest stars.

“There might be even more favorites than last year,” Van der Poel said. “Starting with Tadej, but over the past weeks I’ve also seen a strong Wout van Aert, and Mads Pedersen has also been improving race after race.”

Evenepoel may not follow Pogačar when the race explodes on the Kwaremont.

But he could be the rider who ensures the race is not over when it happens.