Six starts, three abandons, one win: Remco Evenepoel's Grand Tour record

Evenepoel made his highly anticipated Grand Tour debut at the 2021 Giro d’Italia, and the race started well for the then 21-year-old Belgian. After six stages, he sat second in the general classification, the de facto leader, with Attila Valter wearing the pink jersey.

He remained in second place on the first rest day after another solid performance on the steep gravel finish to Campo Felice, won by Egan Bernal, who overtook the Belgian to claim the race leadership

Stage 11’s gravel-heavy Montalcino stage proved a setback, as Evenepoel lost 2:06 to Bernal, dropping out of contention for the pink jersey. He maintained a top-10 GC position through the second week but struggled in the third. On stage 16 to Cortina d’Ampezzo, he lost 24:05 to Bernal, ending his GC aspirations. A crash on the descent during stage 17 to Sega di Ala allowed him to finish the stage, but he withdrew before the next, marking a challenging debut.

After over a year away from Grand Tour racing, Evenepoel lined up at the Vuelta a España as a monument winner, having triumphed at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in the spring. He entered the race brimming with confidence after securing a second victory at Clásica San Sebastián with an impressive solo performance in a race that featured Tadej Pogačar. The favourite, three-time defending champion Primož Roglič, led after five stages following his Tour de France withdrawal.

On stage 6, Evenepoel signalled his threat, attacking on the misty Pico Jano. Only Enric Mas could match him, while Roglič lost 1:22. Evenepoel outsprinted Mas, finishing 15 seconds behind breakaway winner Jay Vine, and claimed the red jersey. On stage 9, he distanced Roglič again, gaining 52 seconds, leading Mas by 1:12 and Roglič by 1:53 at the rest day. Post-rest day, Evenepoel’s time trial victory added 47 seconds over Roglič.

Winning a maiden Grand Tour was never going to be straightforward, and this became evident on the slopes of Sierra de La Pandera, where Evenepoel showed vulnerability and was distanced by his fellow GC contenders. Roglič capitalised, taking 48 seconds, though Evenepoel limited his losses well. On a gruelling stage 15 to Sierra Nevada, he conceded just 15 seconds more, weathering the storm well.

Stage 16 appeared relatively uneventful on paper, but Evenepoel suffered a mechanical issue at the base of a short, steep climb just outside the safety zone. Fortunately, he received the same time as the main peloton. Meanwhile, Roglič, who had broken clear in a small group in the finale, crashed and ultimately abandoned the race due to his injuries.

Evenepoel claimed a victory in the red jersey on stage 18 and went on to win his first and only Grand Tour to date. Just a few weeks later, he added the rainbow jersey at the World Championships in Australia.

Remco Evenepoel’s shortest Grand Tour appearance began strongly at the 2023 Giro d’Italia, where he arrived as the world champion. He won the opening stage’s individual time trial to claim the pink jersey.

Evenepoel led until stage 4, when Andreas Leknessund took the lead from a breakaway, marking the last time Evenepoel wore pink during the race.

He secured a second-stage win on stage 9, edging out Geraint Thomas by one second in another time trial, reclaiming the lead. However, Evenepoel withdrew before stage 10 after testing positive for COVID-19, leaving a major "what if" moment for the Belgian.

The 2023 Vuelta a España showcased Evenepoel’s character and resilience. As the defending champion, he started strongly, outsprinting Vingegaard, Roglič, and others in an uphill finish to win stage 3 in the Belgian champion’s jersey, taking the race lead before crashing after the finish line.

Sepp Kuss claimed the red jersey from Evenepoel after gaining time in a breakaway on stage 6, with the American ultimately winning the general classification. Evenepoel remained in a strong third place in the GC at the start of stage 13, but a disastrous day saw him lose over 27 minutes, effectively ending his battle for the red jersey.

Despite this major setback, Evenepoel bounced back, featuring in the breakaway in five of the last eight stages. He won two stages in emphatic solo fashion and secured the mountains classification. This remarkable recovery from disappointment demonstrated his grit and determination, undoubtedly earning the Belgian many new fans.

Evenepoel made his long-awaited Tour de France debut in the summer of 2024. In fact, he had only competed in a professional road race in France for the first time a few months earlier at Paris-Nice. His preparation for the Tour suffered a significant setback due to his involvement in a horrific crash at Itzulia Basque Country, which also involved Jonas Vingegaard, Primož Roglič, and others.

Evenepoel won his first Tour stage in the rainbow jersey on stage 7’s individual time trial and looked strong during the gravel-heavy stage 9, marking a significant improvement from his 2021 Giro performance.

Sitting in second place as the race reached the Pyrenees, Evenepoel was well-positioned for a podium finish. Although Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard proved to be on another level, the Belgian was comfortably the third-best rider in the race and secured an impressive podium place on his Tour de France debut.

Evenepoel’s 2025 Tour de France was a mix of highs and lows, starting on a challenging note when he was distanced on the opening stage amid crosswind chaos. However, he performed strongly on the hilly routes of stages 2, 4, 6, and 7, and secured another time trial victory at the Tour in the rainbow jersey for the second consecutive year on stage 5 to Caen. After an attritional stage 10 to Le Mont-Dore, the Belgian was well-positioned in the general classification, holding a podium spot, but things began to unravel on stage 12 to Hautacam.

Evenepoel was distanced early from the GC group on the Col du Soulor, about 50km from the finish. Although he managed to rejoin before the base of Hautacam, he was dropped again early on, unable to match the accelerations and forced to set his own pace. All things considered, finishing seventh on the stage, with only the top three riders taking more than a minute on the Belgian, was a solid outcome on a day that could have been far worse.

However, stage 13’s mountain time trial to Peyragudes was one that the Belgian will want to forget quickly, especially the moment when Vingegaard caught and passed him in the final meters up the brutally steep ramp to the finish line.

Despite still holding a podium position after the stage, Evenepoel’s race ended less than 24 hours later when he was distanced on the slopes of the Col du Tourmalet and abandoned the 2025 Tour.