Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull‑BORA‑hansgrohe) has poured cold water on the biggest rumour of the winter, confirming that he will not ride the Tour of Flanders in 2026 and will also skip the Giro d’Italia as he builds calmly towards the Tour de France.
Speaking on Wednesday at Red Bull‑BORA‑hansgrohe’s media day in Mallorca, the Belgian outlined a streamlined programme that turns away from the cobbles and focuses instead on time trials, stage races and the Ardennes Classics.
"I want to have a normal season, without doing anything crazy," Evenepoel said, in comments reported by Wielerflits. "I want to complete a full season. In the future, riding the Tour of Flanders is certainly an option. We discussed it a lot, but first I need to get back to my normal level after a good winter. For now, my season is already busy enough."
From Flanders frenzy to a stripped‑back schedule
In recent weeks Belgian media had fuelled heavy speculation that the 25‑year‑old would finally line up at Tour of Flanders. Early reporting suggested his 2026 calendar was being built around a debut in "Flanders’ Finest". On Wednesday he drew a line under that storyline. The Ronde will have to wait at least another year.
Instead, Evenepoel will open his campaign on Spanish roads. "I want to start with a time trial in Mallorca," he explained, pointing to the Challenge Mallorca as his first race effort of the year.
From there, his early season takes on a more traditional GC rider’s shape. "Then I’ll go to the Tour of Valencia (4–8 February), the Tour of Catalonia (24–30 March) and then the Ardennes Classics," he said.
That Ardennes block means a familiar triple: the Amstel Gold Race on 20 April, La Flèche Wallonne on 23 April and Liège–Bastogne–Liège on 26 April. It is terrain where Evenepoel has already proved his class and which fits neatly with his time trial and climbing strengths.
No Giro, quiet road to the Tour
The other major confirmation from Mallorca is that Evenepoel will not ride the Giro d’Italia in 2026. After the Ardennes, he will step back from racing before one final tune‑up ahead of July.
In the run‑in to the Tour there is only one race on his schedule. Before France, Evenepoel will ride the Tour Auvergne‑Rhône‑Alpes from 7 to 14 June, better known under its former name, the Critérium du Dauphiné. It is the classic preparation race for Tour contenders, with testing climbs and high‑level opposition.
That choice underlines how sharply his programme has been focused. No cobbled Monuments, no Italian Grand Tour, just a sequence of stage races and hilly one‑day events leading into cycling’s biggest stage.
For a rider who has spent the past month at the centre of every transfer of gossip about a Ronde debut, the message from Mallorca was deliberately low‑key. Flanders remains on the horizon, and the Giro remains a long‑term target, but Evenepoel’s 2026 will be about something simpler: a full, uninterrupted season and the clearest possible run at yellow in July.
