Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) has identified Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) as a significantly more dangerous Grand Tour rival following his mid-contract transfer from Soudal-QuickStep, saying the Belgian's new team environment will allow him to "take a big step this season."
Speaking at the Tour of Oman, his comeback race of the 2026 season, Kuss told DH Les Sports+ that the stronger structure around Evenepoel would be important for his Tour de France ambitions.
"He was already a great rider before arriving at his new team," Kuss said. "But the fact of being in a larger structure, with a different organisation from what he knew before, can help him improve. Red Bull, but also Specialized, can offer many important things for development."
Kuss added: "Remco also finds himself in a squad more focused on Grand Tours. Which is what he was looking for. I think this will allow him to take a big step this season."
Evenepoel's transfer was confirmed in August 2025, ending a seven-season tenure with Patrick Lefevere's team one year before his contract expired. His reported salary at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is around €8 million per year, with a buyout penalty of at least €2.5 million paid to Soudal-QuickStep.
Key personnel followed him, including mountain domestique Mattia Cattaneo and directeur sportif Klaas Lodewyck. Dan Lorang, the team's head of performance, now oversees his training programme.
On the equipment side, Specialized has developed a new race kit in collaboration with Red Bull Advanced Technologies, which is fitting given Evenepoel's conviction that without Specialized as bike sponsor he would not have moved.
Kuss acknowledged that unseating Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) remains the central challenge for both Visma-Lease a Bike and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. "When you realise how strong this Tadej Pogačar is, you also have to know how to accept it," he said. "And ask yourself: what can we do to improve?"
With Evenepoel now backed by comparable resources to those around Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, Visma-Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates-XRG are set to line up with heavily supported GC leaders at the 2026 Grand Tours.
Cover image credit: Maximilian Fries / Red Bull Content Pool
