Belgian Star Acknowledges World Champion as Logical Favorite for Sunday’s Monument Race

Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel has acknowledged that Tadej Pogačar is the deserved favourite for the upcoming Liège-Bastogne-Liège Monument, stating it is “logical” that the World Champion is ranked ahead of him in the build-up to Sunday’s race.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, April 25, 2026, Evenepoel praised Pogačar’s consistency across the Classics season, noting that the UAE Team Emirates rider wins “everywhere he starts, except in Roubaix.” This assessment comes despite Evenepoel’s own strong form, including a recent victory at the Amstel Gold Race.

The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider also addressed the rising expectations surrounding 19-year-old Paul Seixas of Decathlon CMA CGM, who earned a debut win at La Flèche Wallonne earlier in the week. Evenepoel suggested that Seixas may struggle in the final hour of the 252-kilometre Ardennes Classic due to his limited experience in Monument races, stating: “We shouldn’t be surprised if he struggles in the final hour.”

It is logical that he is ahead of me. Pogačar wins everywhere he starts, except in Roubaix. So he is the deserved top favorite everywhere, and it is no different here.

Remco Evenepoel, Sporza

I’ll leave that up to you. I have won here twice already, so that’s a slight edge for me….

Remco Evenepoel

Evenepoel, a two-time former winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, acknowledged his own historical advantage on the challenging Ardennes course but maintained that Pogačar’s palmares this season — including victories at the Tour of Flanders, Milan-San Remo, and Strade Bianche — solidifies the Slovenian’s position as the clear favourite.

The 2025 edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, held on Sunday, April 27, featured a revised route that included the reintroduced Col de Haussire (Stele Criquielion), described as the toughest hill in Belgium. The race covered 252 kilometres with eleven categorized climbs, including the legendary Cote de la Redoute, and attracted a strong start list featuring Olympic Champion Evenepoel, World Champion Pogačar, Thomas Pidcock, Mattias Skjelmose, and others.

Tadej Pogacar has won Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2025 thereby taking his second consecutive victory in the legendary cycling classic.

roadcycling.com

Despite Seixas’ impressive La Flèche Wallonne triumph, Evenepoel cautioned that the young French rider’s second Monument appearance could expose his limits in the race’s demanding closing stages. The Belgian star emphasized that while he rates Pogačar above himself, he leaves the comparison between himself and Seixas to public judgment.

As the Ardennes Classic unfolded, Pogačar launched a decisive solo attack on the Cote de la Redoute, quickly establishing a significant gap over the peloton. His victory marked a second consecutive win in La Doyenne, reinforcing his status as the dominant force in one-day cycling heading into the summer season.