Remco Evenepoel will head to Amstel Gold in April after opening his spring with a podium finish in his Tour of Flanders debut, the latest sign that the 26-year-old is leaning into a Classics campaign that could stretch through Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He is expected to line up against former winner Tom Pidcock in the Netherlands, with La Flèche Wallonne also possible in the middle of the week before a definite start at Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday, April 26.
Evenepoel said the pressure that once came with being the focus of attention has eased. “I've been a pro now for seven to eight years and that helps,” he said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport after his Tour of Flanders ride. “Right from the start of that, I was the centre of attention, but now the pressure and expectations are no longer a problem.” He added that he wants to compete more than in previous seasons and that the growth curve is still steep: “I want to be the best version of myself, which is still yet to come. On a bike and as a person. There's still a lot for me to learn.”
That ambition matters now because Evenepoel’s spring program is being read against a broader elite field. Pogačar is a three-time winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, while Paul Seixas is being cast as a major favorite for victory there on Sunday, April 26. Evenepoel’s place in that picture is clear enough: he has a definite start in Liège, with Amstel Gold in April offering another test before Belgium’s mid-week races.
The other thread in his comments was less about winning races than managing a career that cannot last forever. Evenepoel said cycling “isn't forever” and that being a husband and a father takes priority. He warned that focusing too much on the sport can mean losing control of personal life, and said Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe shares that view by treating work seriously while making room to enjoy life when the racing is done.
He also ruled out any assault on the Hour Record until at least 2030, pushing that challenge far into the future. For now, his near-term targets are on the road, where his spring already has shape and stakes. Evenepoel pointed to teammate Giulio Pellizzari as Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's big hope for the Giro d'Italia, saying the young rider is close to a Giro podium and can dream bigger after sixth overall last June and a summit-finish stage win in the Vuelta a España in the autumn.
For Evenepoel, the immediate test is whether a Tour of Flanders podium was the start of a larger break-through or simply the first sharp point in a busy spring. He sounds more at ease than he did in earlier seasons, and that may matter as much as the results when Amstel Gold Race 2026 arrives.
