Remco Evenepoel reveals near-4kg weight loss before Tour de France
Remco Evenepoel has confirmed that he has lost almost 4kg during his preparations for the Tour de France, while insisting that the reduction has not affected his power.
Make us your Google favourite
Evenepoel’s leaner physique was immediately noticeable when he arrived in Barcelona for the start of his third Tour de France.
Asked by Dutch journalist Thijs Zonneveld how much weight he had lost, Evenepoel gave a direct answer.
“Almost 4kg,” he said.
Evenepoel had already indicated that weight would be an important part of his Tour preparation. After his climbing tests at the UAE Tour and the Volta a Catalunya, he admitted there was still work to be done before July.
“We approached the weight loss in a smart way,” Evenepoel told Sporza last week. “My weight has gone down, but the power has stayed.”
That balance was particularly important after a spring campaign in which Evenepoel also wanted to retain the strength and explosiveness required for races such as the Tour of Flanders. Once his focus shifted fully towards the Tour, reducing his weight became a more prominent part of the plan.
The weight loss comes with another notable figure. In June, Evenepoel revealed an FTP of around 425 watts. At 63 to 63.5kg, that equates to roughly 6.7 watts per kg, though training numbers never tell the full story.
Evenepoel credited new coach Tim Heemskerk with closely monitoring the process.
“Once I reach that weight, it stays there,” he said. “I have a new coach who monitored everything closely and kept everything under control in terms of power. I am happy with where I am.”
His team also changed his route towards the Tour, removing the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes from his programme in favour of a longer and more controlled altitude block. Evenepoel has not raced since Liège-Bastogne-Liège, meaning his training data and physical condition have provided the clearest clues about his form.
There is, however, some nuance to the 4kg figure.
Belgian cycling journalist Jonas Creteur pointed out that Evenepoel is not four kilograms lighter than he was at last year’s Tour. He reportedly raced the past two editions at around 63 to 63.5kg, which is also believed to be his target weight this year.
Evenepoel was closer to 65 kilograms around Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The “almost 4kg” therefore appears to describe the gap between his winter weight and his Tour shape, rather than a loss of 4kg since the spring.
Play our Tour de France prediction game!
Pick one rider for every stage and build your own general classification. Each rider can only be selected once, so choose wisely: their finishing time will count towards your overall result. The player with the lowest total time wins an official Santini Tour de France yellow jersey time trial skinsuit.
