What are the Tour of Flanders favourites saying about one another?

News & Racing

“You never know where he might go, and he can attack in the most random places,” Pogačar said of Evenepoel in the build-up to the cobbled Monument.

Cor Vos, Gruber Images

In the past few days, a few hundred riders, countless members of team staff and many scores of journalists have been flocking to Flanders in advance of the second Monument of the season on Sunday. With the exception of three-time winner Mathieu van der Poel, who’s spent the week training in Spain, the past few days have meant course reconnaissance and press conferences for the top teams and riders.

Unsurprisingly, a great deal of the buzz has centred around Remco Evenepoel in the days after the young Belgian caused a media storm with the late announcement of his debut participation at the Tour of Flanders. While his individual prospects have been a key talking point, his presence also raises the prestige and anticipation for the entire race as he joins Van der Poel, reigning champ Tadej Pogačar and Wout van Aert, four of the biggest names in men’s cycling.

While there are other riders, like Mads Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven, Jonas Abrahamsen, Kasper Asgreen, etc. who are sure to stake a claim in Flanders on Sunday, the so-called ‘Big Four’ enjoy – or tolerate – an extra level of interest and scrutiny. Here’s what they’ve all been saying in the build-up to the first Cobbled Monument.

Table of Contents

Remco Evenepoel: ‘Do I feel like I can win?’

Flanders-debutant Evenepoel has been the centre of attention since Monday when the first stirrings of a Flanders participation entered the media, though at that point it was all written off as an (early) April Fool’s Day skit. All the doubters were smothered two days later on April 1st – at around 12pm (CEST), perhaps honouring the cutoff for Fool’s Day pranks in some parts – when Evenepoel made it official. Uproar ensued.

“I deliberately got rid of my social media for the past two weeks before all this fuss. I was able to relax and enjoy how we ripped you off,” Evenepoel said in a press conference on Friday. He went on to deliver his now well-worn explanation for the perceived subterfuge, and promised that it won’t happen again, before going on to talk directly about preparing for the race itself, “it is a risk to start without another cobbled race in the legs, so we waited as long as possible.”

And he’s not just in Flanders to ride along and experience racing over the hellingen, he has lofty ambitions.

“Do I feel like I can win? Otherwise, I wouldn’t be starting here,” he said, responding to questions about his chances. “It is a race I have wanted to ride for a long time, but that was held back a bit in the past,” he added, contradicting former boss Patrick Lefevere’s assertions that he’d tried and failed to persuade the Belgian superstar. “This year, during the [pre-season] meetings, I said: either the Giro or the Tour of Flanders. When I knew the Giro wasn’t an option, Flanders was on my schedule. And then we would wait and see how I got through the season. But I knew they wouldn’t be able to talk me out of it.”

He is of course far from a novice on the cobbles having grown up on these roads. An 18-year-old Evenepoel won Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne Juniors in 2018 and made his debut at two semi-Classics in his first year pro 12 months later. He also performed brilliantly on cobbled stages at the Baloise Belgium Tour early in his career, and won De Brabantse Pijl just last year which features a small handful of cobbled climbs. However, with his focus turning ever more towards GC aspirations, he’s not been back to the true Cobbled Classics since he was a teenager, unlike his rivals who are seasoned specialists – and Pogačar who’s a specialist at anything to do with a bike.

“Mathieu, Tadej, and Wout have already proven enough that they can win or are capable of winning here,” said Evenepoel, when asked to place himself among the top favourites. “For me, racing on this course is new. That is something quite different from training. In terms of capabilities, I can come close to them, but due to a lack of experience, I will place myself below them regardless.”

Evenepoel during recon on Thursday with experienced teammate Jan Tratnik – Callum Thornley is tucked in behind the Slovenian, essentially a travelling sub who had been on the provisional startlist before Evenepoel’s late addition.

With Pogačar and Van der Poel considered the top-ranked favourites, and Wout van Aert a level below, the idea of a Belgian alliance has been floated by a number of parties. Or that the favourites could divide down different lines, or indeed that Evenepoel might try and take advantage of his relative beginner status and join forces with a fellow outside contender should that opportunity arise.

“No… Everyone wants to win,” he said on the chances of any alliances forming on the road. “Then it is difficult to ride against someone. In finales it is man against man and the strongest will win. I don’t think allies need to be sought. Here, the strongest always rides away.

“The difference is made on the climbs, and after that you can’t ride that much faster than someone else because it’s so tough. But I am drawing motivation from the Amstel [2025, where he finished third after he and eventual winner Mattias Skjelmose chased down a lone Pogačar], even though that is a different race without cobblestones. But there are plenty of places to make the difference.”

Tadej Pogačar: ‘Flanders is a very different race’

The preoccupation with Evenepoel’s presence extended into every other press conference including the reigning champion’s, coming a day after Pogačar had told Sporza’s Vive le Vélo podcast that he’d been “a little bit surprised and a little bit not” at the Belgian’s revelation.