Vanthourenhout - 'Evenepoel can become Pogacar’s equal in one-day races'

“Remco won’t improve by fifteen percent, but I truly believe he can become Pogačar’s equal in one-day races,” Vanthourenhout told Het Laatste Nieuws. “I’m not talking about stage races. Pogačar is exceptional on long climbs, but in other areas Remco can reach him.”

Evenepoel himself knows where progress must come from. After finishing second to Pogačar at the European Championships in France, he explained: “If I want to beat Pogačar in the future, I have to get better in those hard efforts of three to five minutes uphill. It’s up to the performance staff and the coaches to figure out how to work on that.”

Vanthourenhout confirmed that work has already begun. “Our collaboration with Remco officially starts in a few weeks, but we’re already exchanging ideas. There’s a lot of discussion going on,” he said. He pointed out that Pogačar’s strength lies in how long he can sustain an explosive tempo on climbs. 

“At the European Championships, he probably produced around 460 watts for fifteen minutes. That’s roughly 400 kilocalories burned, the amount an average man uses in four hours. Pogačar can maintain that kind of acceleration longer than anyone else. For a few minutes he pushes twenty, thirty, even forty watts more than the rest, before returning to a normal wattage.”

The Belgian coach admits that Pogačar’s ability partly comes from natural talent. “It’s obvious that he has qualities you can’t always train,” Vanthourenhout said. “But I’m convinced Remco hasn’t reached the end of his development yet. Through performance, nutrition and training, he can take that step.”

Vanthourenhout explained that the human body operates with three different ‘engines’. The first burns fat and oxygen, linked to endurance. The second burns sugars with oxygen, used for more intense efforts. The third also burns sugars, but in oxygen debt, when the effort is so hard that the body starts to accumulate lactic acid. “That third zone is where Pogačar excels,” he said. “Remco’s base condition is not inferior, but in that extreme intensity Tadej has an edge. That’s what we’ll try to work on.”

He kept the exact details of the plan under wraps. “It’s part of the team’s training know-how,” he said. “But it’s no secret that specific interval training can target those areas. You just have to maintain the balance between the three engines. You can’t only train those super-intensive efforts, because a cyclist still needs a strong aerobic foundation.”

That balance will be the task of his new coach, Dan Lorang. “He’ll have to find the right triggers that help Remco respond better to Pogačar’s accelerations on the climbs,” Vanthourenhout said.

Evenepoel, meanwhile, has one more race this season, Il Lombardia, his final duel of the year with Pogačar. “Everyone knows I’m motivated to win there,” he said after the European Championships. “I just have to stay with him as long as possible. I’ll give everything, and I feel ready.”

Vanthourenhout remains confident. “Pogačar is a phenomenal talent, but Remco still has room to grow. That’s what makes this journey exciting. He can reach that level, especially in the one-day races.”

Barring Mathieu van der Poel in the Spring, Pogačar has been without rival for much of the past two years. Red Bull will hope an improved Evenepoel can change that dynamic.