Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe has shed more light on the decision for Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) to skip Paris-Nice and the Critérium du Dauphiné in pursuit of the 2026 Tour de France.
The plan, detailed by Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe Chief of Sport Zak Dempster, departs from standard Grand Tour preparation. Evenepoel will bypass the Dauphiné – which, alongside the Tour de Suisse, serves as the traditional final warm-up for most contenders – in favour of isolated altitude training camps to preserve freshness.
"If you look at the WorldTour races that are the toughest, in those races you burn the most kilojoules," Dempster told WielerFlits. "That's why I find the combination between Paris-Nice and Catalonia super dangerous."
Instead of more traditional warm-up stage racing, Evenepoel will rely on isolated altitude camps to build form. The approach follows his stated desire for 'a normal season', having already confirmed he will skip both the Tour of Flanders and the Giro d'Italia in 2026.
The squad long-list shows Evenepoel and Lipowitz as dual leaders. Florian Lipowitz, who finished third in the 2025 Tour, will serve as co-leader alongside Evenepoel. Key domestiques include Mattia Cattaneo, Nico Denz, Jan Tratnik and Gianni Moscon, forming what Dempster called the engine room to protect the leaders on flat terrain.
"You need an engine room," Dempster said. "Someone like Nico Denz can do that very well, Jan Tratnik is world class in his work."
Daniel Felipe Martínez and Jai Hindley will provide elite climbing support, with Dempster describing Martínez as "absolutely a key figure" despite a difficult 2025 season.
Primož Roglič has been excluded from the 2026 Tour squad - as confirmed at the team's media day in early December. The three-time Vuelta winner will not ride in support of Evenepoel and Lipowitz.
Evenepoel's transfer to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, which Geraint Thomas suggested could be cycling's first €10m deal, was confirmed in August 2025 following a buyout from Soudal-QuickStep. The team's hopes are thought to be firmly behind Evenepoel emerging as the major challenger to Tadej Pogačar at the 2026 Tour de France.
Cover image - Remco Evenepoel racing at the Criterium du Dauphine in 2025, credit: ASO
