‘An alien like Pogacar can maybe do that’: Denk not a fan of an Evenepoel Giro-Tour double

Ralph Denk has said he would prefer Remco Evenepoel not to ride both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France next season, as Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe weigh up a 2027 programme that remains undecided.

Evenepoel said before Il Lombardia that the door was open to a Giro return, and the Tour route unveiled on Thursday, with 71 kilometres of time trialling, gave the team reason to aim for yellow. Asked by HLN whether that meant attempting both, Denk was clear about his own view.

“It’s far too early to make the call, but personally I’m not a fan. An alien like Tadej Pogačar can maybe do that,” he said to HLN.

Pressed on whether that meant Evenepoel was not an alien, he laughed. “Let’s say there have been enough examples of trial and error in the past. It seems better to me to focus on one of the two. But I’m also not a sports scientist who can give you super accurate information on this. We’ll see.”

The Giro route has not yet been published, but Italian sources have described two individual time trials of around 80 kilometres combined, at Monza and Sulmona, while Tuttobiciweb has reported a climbing time trial near Vicenza instead. Summit finishes are expected at Sassotetto, Monte Livata, Zum Zeri, Piani di Bobbio, and a queen stage over the Mortirolo twice, the Gavia and Aprica.

Denk also stressed that Evenepoel is not the team’s only option for three-week racing. “The big advantage of our project is that we have a wide range of potential Grand Tour leaders. We also have Florian Lipowitz, Jai Hindley and some young, fast-developing talents like Giulio Pellizzari and Lorenzo Finn. It’s not only Remco. Definitely.”

On the Tour itself, the shape of the opening ten days may matter as much as the time trials. The first summit finish does not come until the Grand Colombier on day ten. In 2026 Evenepoel faced Les Angles, Gavarnie-Gèdre and Le Lioran inside that span, having come out of a double altitude camp short of climbing rhythm, and lost 3:49 of his eventual 6:26 deficit to Pogačar there.

Denk accepts the point without leaning on it. “That can indeed be an advantage. On the other hand, if you go all in for the general classification, and that’s what we always want to do with this team, you have to be awake in those first ten days and control things.”

The second time trial in Toulouse has a sting not reflected in its distance, with the Côte de Pech David in the finale, 800 metres averaging 12 per cent with ramps of 20. Denk would not commit to what that means for Evenepoel.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First we have to study the routes thoroughly,” he said.