{"id":117054,"date":"2026-04-03T17:46:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T17:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/how-remco-evenepoel-changes-everything-at-the-tour-of-flanders\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T17:46:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T17:46:28","slug":"how-remco-evenepoel-changes-everything-at-the-tour-of-flanders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/how-remco-evenepoel-changes-everything-at-the-tour-of-flanders\/","title":{"rendered":"How Remco Evenepoel Changes Everything at the Tour of Flanders"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Published April 3, 2026 11:46AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Tour of Flanders<\/a> didn\u2019t need more jet fuel, then Remco Evenepoel<\/a> confirmed his debut.<\/p>\n

The Belgian\u2019s late\/orchestrated call-up<\/a> does more than add star power.<\/p>\n

It injects another world-class motor into the season\u2019s most volatile race that\u2019s dictated by one man in the form of Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Evenepoel\u2019s last-minute addition could reshape how everyone else responds once the inevitable attacks come from the world champion.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything depends on how I feel in general. But the best thing you can do is attack,\u201d Evenepoel said Friday. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t be starting if I didn\u2019t think I could win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evenepoel\u2019s presence Sunday in Antwerp not only adds another layer of drama \u2014 this is being hyped as a \u201cG4\u201d face-off among the top faves \u2014 it could change the race dynamics in significant ways.<\/p>\n

With Evenepoel, any chase from behind could suddenly have more hope of doing the impossible of reeling in Poga\u010dar when he\u2019s loose off the leash.<\/p>\n

Is it likely? No.<\/p>\n

But for the first time, there\u2019s at least a scenario where someone might make him sweat if he\u2019s gone.<\/p>\n

Evenepoel racing to win<\/h2>\n
(Photo: David Pastor Andres\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Evenepoel is going to get gapped when Poga\u010dar drops the hammer on Oude Kwaremont in crunch time at Sunday\u2019s big battle in the final hour of racing.<\/p>\n

So is just about everyone else, except maybe Mathieu van der Poel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What could be different this time is what happens next.<\/p>\n

The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe leader<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Evenepoel didn\u2019t give too much away about his tactic for Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone wants to win. Then it is difficult to ride against someone,\u201d he said Friday. \u201cIn the end, it is man against man, and the strongest will win. I don\u2019t think allies need to be found. The strongest always rides away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Racing Flanders for the first time, Evenepoel arrives as the wildcard the race hasn\u2019t had in years.<\/p>\n

Van Aert: \u2018It\u2019s always chaos\u2019<\/h2>\n
\"Belgium's
Van Aert is looking sharp ahead of Flanders.<\/span> (Photo: DAVID PINTENS \/ Belga \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cycling\u2019s biggest stars faced the media Friday ahead of Sunday\u2019s big matchup in the monumental throwdown at De Ronde.<\/p>\n

With Van der Poel and Wout van Aert also lining up, this is that rare chance for cycling\u2019s four best and brightest classics stars to square off in a major monument in their pro team kits.<\/p>\n

Poga\u010dar is the five-star favorite, with MVDP lingering close behind<\/a>. Van Aert and Evenepoel slot in to fill out the G4, a term dubbed by the Belgian press to hype up Sunday\u2019s race even more.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t put myself in that \u2018G4\u2019,\u201d Van Aert said Friday. \u201cI think that term is a bit of nonsense. People forget that Poga\u010dar was way ahead of everyone in Strade and San Remo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, he points to brutal truth that Poga\u010dar is operating on a different level, and the rest are chasing in his dust.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s up to everyone else to put up a fight. Will Van Aert find some allies on the road even if they\u2019re rivals at the start?<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope so, but it depends on how the race goes,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s always chaos, and things happen at Flanders that you don\u2019t expect. It\u2019s a bit pointless to talk about all the scenarios now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Van der Poel says bring it<\/h2>\n
\n
\"Van
Van der Poel sees the Belgian as a plus. (Photo: Gruber Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

The one rider who sees a big advantage in having Evenepoel at the start is Van der Poel.<\/p>\n

The Dutch superstar is the only rider who\u2019s consistently been able to match and beat Poga\u010dar in these types of races.<\/p>\n

Having Evenepoel deep into the race could be a plus, especially if Van der Poel finds himself going into the red.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad he\u2019s at the start. The more strong riders there are, the faster the race opens up,\u201d Van der Poel said. \u201cThat\u2019s not a disadvantage for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Evenepoel will be doubly motivated after some misfires this spring, especially at the UAE Tour and again at the Volta a Catalunya.<\/p>\n

Back on favored ground, Evenepoel will be racing on home roads with something to prove. Van der Poel will be watching closely.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe definitely shouldn\u2019t underestimate Remco,\u201d Van der Poel said. \u201cIt\u2019s his first time here, but he\u2019s a top rider with a strong team around him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Poga\u010dar not letting down guard<\/h2>\n
\"UAE
Not the look of a worried man. <\/span> (Photo: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even if he\u2019s the five-star favorite, Poga\u010dar knows better than to let down his guard against the Belgian aero bullet.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to have a rider like Remco, who always wants to attack,\u201d Poga\u010dar said Friday. \u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many expect Poga\u010dar to be alone off the front late in the decisive climbs.<\/p>\n

But recent races have complicated that script.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think teams finally realized that if somebody attacks 60km to go, there\u2019s still time to organize in the back,\u201d Poga\u010dar said. \u201cIf you work together and don\u2019t just attack each other over the climbs, there\u2019s more chance to catch the guy in the lead.\u201d<\/p>\n

The monument, six-hour distance will prove a back-breaker Sunday, however, so it could come down to a select epic battle between cycling\u2019s biggest stars.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere might be even more favorites than last year,\u201d Van der Poel said. \u201cStarting with Tadej, but over the past weeks I\u2019ve also seen a strong Wout van Aert, and Mads Pedersen has also been improving race after race.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evenepoel may not follow Poga\u010dar when the race explodes on the Kwaremont.<\/p>\n

But he could be the rider who ensures the race is not over when it happens.<\/p>\n

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Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Published April 3, 2026 11:46AM The Tour of Flanders didn\u2019t need more jet fuel, then Remco Evenepoel confirmed his debut. The Belgian\u2019s late\/orchestrated call-up does more than add star power. It injects another world-class motor into the season\u2019s most volatile race that\u2019s dictated by one man in the form of Tadej Poga\u010dar. Evenepoel\u2019s last-minute addition […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":117055,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117054"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117054"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117054\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}