Remco Evenepoel has abandoned the 2025 Tour de France on Stage 14, bringing his debut appearance at the race to an emotional and premature end. The Belgian, who had spent most of the past week sitting third overall, was dropped early on the Col du Tourmalet and, after slipping out of contention, eventually handed his bidons to a young roadside fan, climbed off the bike and into the team car.
He had already cracked on Peyragudes and showed signs of fading form, where he lost more time in the GC behind Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogaฤar. Todayโs mountain stage – featuring the Tourmalet and a summit finish at Luchon-Superbagnรจres – proved to be the breaking point.
A steady decline over the mountains
From the foot of the Tourmalet, Evenepoel looked off the pace. After just a few kilometres of climbing, he slipped to the back of the peloton. Despite teammate Pascal Eenkhoorn riding at the front of the group, there was no waiting. That, combined with the fact that Evenepoel was gesturing towards the camera motorbike, was a clear sign the situation had turned.
He was quickly distanced and began losing time steadily. Although he attempted to limit the damage, a conversation with sports director Klaas Lodewyck at the team car soon followed. Moments later, he stopped and abandoned the race.
Evenepoel had started the day third overall, but with Florian Lipowitz climbing strongly and now just 6 seconds behind, that podium spot was already in jeopardy. Lipowitz is now expected to inherit both third place and the white jersey for best young rider by the end of the stage.
Photo Credit: GettyTroubles traced back to the Dauphinรฉ
Soudal-Quick Step had already been managing concerns about Evenepoelโs condition, with trainer Koen Pelgrim explaining this morning that things had not been right since the Critรฉrium du Dauphinรฉ.
Remco was not properly recovered from the Dauphinรฉ and struggled to get through his training. We had to adjust things and give him extra rest, Pelgrim said. He was having trouble with the intensity, and when that happens, you know it’s not the ideal preparation.
Even in the Dauphinรฉ, Pelgrim said, there were signs that things werenโt quite right. It looked OK at first, but the last few days there werenโt great either. After that he went through a difficult patch in training.
Pelgrim added that Evenepoel lacked the stable form needed for a Grand Tour: He can still do good things on some days – like the time trial – but thereโs not enough consistency. Heโs missing a big part of the base he had last year.
Although there had been encouragement from his ride at the Belgian Championships and early signs of strength in the first week, it became clear as the race hit the high mountains that he couldnโt maintain the level of Vingegaard or Pogaฤar.
An emotional decision
Speaking earlier in the day, sports director Klaas Lodewyck had shown his support: Remco is not someone who gives up, and that says a lot about him. Itโs also a message to the rest of the team to keep going.
Evenepoel had already been visibly shaken after the Peyragudes TT stage. Lodewyck admitted: He needed time to process it, which is understandable. We gave him the space and calm he needed. We talked about what was needed and supported him as a group.
Still, by the time the peloton reached the Tourmalet, there was no fight left. Evenepoelโs GC hopes disappeared within a few minutes, and so did his Tour. Itโs a difficult end to what had looked like a promising debut, but the signs had been there for several days. A disrupted winter, a tricky Dauphinรฉ, and a body not quite ready for the sustained demands of a Grand Tour. His stage win in the time trial in Caen feels a long time ago.
Main photo credit: Getty
