'That's the only way I can make progress' - Evenepoel's aggressive style pays off in Red Bull debut in Mallorca

For the first time since he started his professional career with Deceuninck Quick-Step back in 2019, Remco Evenepoel has had to prepare for the new season with a brand new team, thus entering uncharted territory.

The transition to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe could have hindered the Olympic champion from exploding out of the blocks, with things such as adapting to a new environment, teammates, staff, equipment, etc. However, that hasn’t proven to be the case after the Belgian made a blistering start in Mallorca. 

Evenepoel made his Red Bull debut at the Trofeo Ses Salines, where he played a key role in the German team’s victory in the team time trial, serving as perfect preparation ahead of the Tour de France’s opening stage in Barcelona. 

Back-to-back solo victories at the Trofeo Serra Tramuntana and Trofeo Andratx-Pollença followed, both in convincing fashion, and the Belgian is more than content with the decision to kick off life at Red Bull in Mallorca.

"2026 has already gotten off to a good start," Evenepoel told Het Laatste Nieuws, “It was the right choice to ride the three races in Mallorca and to make them as hard as possible for as long as possible.”

Evenepoel’s victory at the Trofeo Serra Tramuntana was the most emphatic, with a 55km solo pilgrimage to the finish by the Santuari de Lluc Monastery, and the Belgian highlighted the importance of being on the front foot.

“That's the only way I can make progress. I hope to continue this trend. The most important thing now is to maintain this form and even sharpen it a bit."

When asked how he plans to sharpen his form further, Evenepoel highlighted a focus on “high intensity” and “changes in pace." 

"Fortunately, I'm not a coach, and I don't have to decide that. That's work for Dan (Lorang) and co,” said Evenepoel. “But generally speaking, I will continue working at high intensity, which I will automatically gain in the upcoming races, and with changes in pace: attacking and maintaining that effort."

Next up on the menu for Evenepoel is the Volta Comunitat Valenciana stage race, where he will be aiming to improve on a second place finish in 2022. The Olympic champion joked after his victory in Pollença about the fact that his 100% win rate in 2026 will be under serious jeopardy on the opening stage, which favours the sprinters.

"It's going to be difficult to keep this up because probably the first stage in Valencia will be a sprint," he told reporters after the finish, "So I think my 100% will go away."

Evenepoel is expected to face stern competition from João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) at the Spanish stage race, which kicks off on February 4 as he looks to continue a positive start to 2026. The Belgian will then turn his attention to the UAE Tour, where a battle with the likes of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) awaits on February 16.