Did Remco Evenepoel scout the Tour of Flanders route, or not? 'He lives nearby, it was just a training ride'

Vermeersch, who made his first appearance in the colours of Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe at the cyclocross in Baal on Thursday, was asked by Sporza about the sighting during the race day. The Belgian is no longer in his familiar Alpecin kit after more than a decade under the Roodhooft brothers, and he admitted the switch still feels strange. “It takes some getting used to. I raced for the Roodhoofts for 13 years and now I do not. My camper had a view of the Alpecin one, so it still felt a bit familiar.”

For Vermeersch, cyclocross is more of a winter detour than a main objective, and at his new team he is expected to step into a guiding role on the road during the classics, effectively acting as a road captain. That is also how he ended up riding with Evenepoel on Sunday, when the double Olympic champion appeared on the famous hills that usually point straight to the Tour of Flanders.

Was it a reconnaissance ride, a quiet change of plans, a sign that Evenepoel might still show up at the start in April? Vermeersch dismissed it with a shrug. “Remco? That was just a training ride,” he said. “He does not live far from Geraardsbergen and we rode towards each other.”

In Vermeersch’s version of the day, it was coincidence mixed with logistics. “We had to test some equipment for the team, he had to do a long endurance training, so he just joined us,” he explained. The implication is that the route was chosen for practical reasons rather than symbolism.

That has not stopped the rumours. Evenepoel has repeatedly been linked with the Tour of Flanders in recent seasons, and any appearance on its key climbs quickly turns into speculation, especially when fans know he has the engine to animate any Monument. The latest sighting mattered because it seemed to contradict the earlier message that there would be no Flemish Spring Classics for him this year.

Vermeersch, though, doubled down and even offered a playful challenge to anyone who doubts him. “If it turns out not to be true and Remco still rides the Tour, then come back to me,” he laughed. “Then I will be the scapegoat.”