'I don't know what they're planning' - Evenepoel focuses on his own race ahead of Tourmalet showdown
The Olympic champion expects Stage 6 of the Tour de France to serve as the first major test for the GC contenders, but insists his focus will be on his own approach rather than trying to predict how his rivals will tackle the Col du Tourmalet.
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Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) heads into the first major mountain showdown of the 2026 Tour de France with confidence, but also with respect for a climb that has already had a significant impact in his Tour career.
After a relatively straightforward opening half, the Col d'Aspin and the iconic Col du Tourmalet feature in the finale of stage 6 before a long descent and almost 20km of rolling valley roads to the uphill finish in Gavarnie-Gèdre.
Evenepoel knows all too well how the Tourmalet can shape one’s race. His 2025 Tour came to a difficult end on the slopes of the Tourmalet on stage 14. Ahead of his return, however, Evenepoel is feeling positive and carrying plenty of confidence.
"Is this a big test? Yes, that makes sense when you've got the Tourmalet in the final," Evenepoel told Sporza of Thursday’s stage. "It'll be an important day for the general classification and a great day for a stage win.”
"I need to have confidence in myself and try to stay with them for as long as possible. If you reach the finish with a small group, there's always a chance of a stage win."
After five stages, Evenepoel sits seventh overall, 8:16 behind race leader Torstein Træen (Uno-X Mobility).
Perhaps more relevantly, he sits 23 seconds behind the leading GC favourites Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike), who are level on time, and expected by many, including Evenepoel, to shape stage 6.
"That's the story of every mountain stage, and today is no different," Evenepoel said.
"It's 18km of non-stop climbing. From the Aspin, the pace will be fast, and on the Tourmalet it will be even faster. But there's still a valley to come where you might find yourself in trouble."
Regardless of how Pogačar and Vingegaard tackle the stage, Evenepoel’s focus remains on himself, rather than trying to predict how his rivals will approach the Pyrenean showdown.
"It could go either way," he added. "But I haven't been following the other teams' strategy meetings. So I don't know what they're planning."
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe sports director Klaas Lodewyck also stressed that Evenepoel must resist the temptation to follow every acceleration on the Tourmalet, with around 40km from the summit until the finish.
"It's very dangerous to go beyond your limit there, because there's still a descent and a valley to follow," Lodewyck said. "If you go beyond your limit, it's difficult to recover, if that were even necessary."
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