Evenepoel’s UAE Tour Struggles: What Went Wrong & What’s Next for Tour de France Hopeful?

Heading into the UAE Tour all eyes were on a potential showdown between Remco Evenepoel and Isaac del Toro for the overall title.

While Tadej Pogačar’s absence was notable, Evenepoel’s momentum and Del Toro’s potential as a successor to his teammate created significant anticipation.

The predictions proved partially correct. Del Toro delivered a dominant performance on the final climb of Jebel Hafeet on Saturday, positioning himself for a first-ever WorldTour stage win on Sunday.

Evenepoel, however, saw his general classification (GC) hopes unravel after his stage 2 time trial victory. He was dropped on Wednesday’s climb to Jebel Mobrah, and despite a determined effort on Saturday, his challenge ultimately faded.

Evenepoel launched an attack with just over 6km to go, briefly suggesting a potential resurgence. But that effort proved unsustainable, and with 5km remaining, he fell off the pace of the GC group, effectively ending his contention.

“I didn’t have the same feeling as in Valencia. I was a bit less fresh,” Evenepoel told Sporza. “Maybe I didn’t digest those races very well. I also got a bit sick afterwards.”

He added, “I also didn’t recover very well from my time trial. That’s not really usual for me.”

‘Quite a big gap to Del Toro’

The heat of the UAE Tour has been suggested as a factor in his struggles, but Evenepoel is familiar with the region, having competed in 2019 and 2023. He even won the overall title in 2023, beating Luke Plapp by 59 seconds and Adam Yates by a minute.

He was second to Yates on the Jebel Hafeet stage three years ago, finishing just ten seconds behind. Evenepoel indicated his power output on Saturday was comparable to that performance, but the result was significantly different, leaving him a minute behind.

“But now I finish a minute behind. The race is getting faster and faster.”

While his performance on stage 3 was a setback – 2:04 behind – he viewed Saturday’s result as an improvement over Wednesday’s struggles.

“it is quite a big gap to Del Toro. Compared to the rest, it’s still okay,” he said.

“That’s already a bit more positive than Wednesday. The feeling was better, and the numbers too. I didn’t explode like on Wednesday.”

“But it wasn’t my best week. It was a good test to ride uphill as fast as possible for 20 minutes here.”

‘It’s unfortunate, but no harm was done’

Evenepoel joined Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe this season, benefiting from a larger budget and increased staffing and performance analytics support compared to his previous team, Soudal Quick Step.

The team’s primary focus this year is achieving the best possible result in the Tour de France, with a long-term development approach. Currently tenth overall in the UAE Tour, Evenepoel’s performance will be thoroughly analyzed to identify areas for improvement.

Directeur sportif Klaas Lodewyck believes the issue may stem from the cumulative effect of recent racing.

“We came with great ambitions, but after the time trial, it was no longer as it should be. Today was an honest result. There was nothing more left in him,” he said.

“The time trial was very good, but perhaps it was the accumulation of many races in a very short period. It’s unfortunate that it went like this, but no harm was done.”

Evenepoel has secured seven wins this season, while rivals like Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard have yet to compete.

The team will undoubtedly draw lessons from the UAE Tour to minimize future disappointments as they prepare for the Tour de France.

Addressing the San Remo question

The UAE Tour concludes on Sunday with a flat stage to Abu Dhabi.

Evenepoel will then return to Europe for a period of rest and altitude training, which he believes is beneficial for his recovery and performance.

He anticipates “gradually losing weight and then becoming stronger.”

He has ruled out participating in Milan – San Remo, citing its proximity to the Volta a Catalunya, a race he considers a key preparation event for the Tour de France. The team lineup for Catalunya will largely mirror his planned Tour de France squad.

Despite the disappointment of the UAE Tour, Evenepoel remains optimistic. He expects to be on another level at the Volta a Catalunya, benefiting from his altitude training camp.

The UAE Tour was a setback, but it’s not a fatal blow. With a long season ahead, there’s ample time to refine his preparation and address the issues that surfaced in the UAE.

The lessons learned this spring may ultimately contribute to a successful summer campaign.