Remco Evenepoel was eyeing up an early-season duel with Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) when he decided to take on the UAE Tour in 2026, according to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's Chief of Sports, Zak Dempster.
Unfortunately for the Belgian, the world champion won't be back to defend his crown at his team's home race, so his main rival now looks set to be Pogačar's teammate, Isaac del Toro, the rising Mexican star.
Evenepoel's competition took another hit before the race's start, with Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) pulling out of the race due to a recent crash and illness.
Speaking to Cyclingnews the week before the race, Dempster didn't hide that they were disappointed at missing out on time against the top competition, but revealed it wasn't actually the Dane that Evenepoel was taking aim at originally.
"Definitely," he responded to the question of whether they were disappointed. "You want to measure yourself against the best, but actually, the primary reason why he wanted to do UAE originally was that he was thinking the Pogačar would be there. So we're not avoiding anyone," Dempster told Cyclingnews.
"And yes, it'd be better if Vingegaard was there, but it's a really strong start list, and obviously, with this new climb as well and the TT, there are some things to really measure ourselves against some of the best riders in the world, and it'll definitely be an important test.
"I think the win in Valencia was against a top-class field, too, like [João] Almeida is a hell of a rider, even going close to Vingegaard last year. So let's not discount the win in Valencia at all, but definitely UAE is going to be a new challenge, and we're really looking forward."
After making a flying start to 2026, Dempster has highlighted a stable winter and the team's back-to-basics approach as key factors in Remco Evenepoel reaching such a high level already.
After joining the German squad from Soudal-QuickStep, Evenepoel has vindicated breaking his contract to pursue pastures new, winning five races and a team time trial during his eight days of racing so far.
Without an altitude camp yet in his legs, Dempster and Red Bull's performance staff will be confident there is more to gain in his pursuit of the sport's current top standard: Pogačar, and with that in mind, it's all about keeping the momentum going.
"It's been a long process. After we spent some time together in Morgan Hill back in October, even before he had his rest, he was already on to next year. He was at the Athlete Performance Centre (APC) quite early on, looking under every stone to see how he could improve," said Dempster.
"Then, after he went off to rest, he came back and got to it. So we knew where he was at – in a really good physical place, but you never know how that can go when you pin the number on."
As it turns out, when Evenepoel had the race number on for the first time in Red Bull colours, he was firing on all cylinders from the get-go, piloting his new teammates to a perfect TTT, before winning solo twice in Mallorca, then powering to his first GC win in two years at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana.
"I think his mindset has definitely lifted the whole team, especially on the ground in Valencia, which you could see in the commitment from the team at those key moments on the Saturday stage in particular," added Dempster.
"There was this big process to put all these plans in place, and it's been really nice to see it play out on the road. So we're definitely satisfied, but we need to build on this now and keep the momentum going."
With big crashes disrupting his past two seasons, Evenpoel made it through the winter without incident, and the effects of that are now visible on the road. Even without yet heading to altitude camp, the Belgian is operating at an elite level, with potentially much more to come.
"Starting that ball rolling early was important, but at the same time, each year is different, and he's had so much to deal with in many winters," added Dempster.
"I think just having a clean run where you can just get on your bike every day at 9:30 and get the work done and come home for lunch. I think that's been the biggest thing, just a stable winter.
"He's in a new team, a new coach, a new performance structure around him. So it was really about, 'OK, let's go back to basics,' and I think the result of that now is that he's come to a really high level from the start. Now is the time just to keep the ship steady, but it's going in the right direction, for sure."
After racing in the UAE, he'll head to Mount Teide with planned Tour de France co-leader Florian Lipowitz, before then heading to the Volta a Catalunya and the Ardennes Classics, where he'll race Pogačar for the first time this year.
For the moment, at least, the signs point to him potentially reaching a level to challenge the world champion.
"I think it's actually a really good example that, contrary to popular belief, you can actually reach a really high level without sitting on top of a mountain," said Red Bull's Chief of Sports.
"It's probably a good thing for young riders to also see. Of course, altitude is a part of our preparation philosophy, but at the same time, there's a hell of a lot you can do just with having some oats in the morning and getting on your bike at 9:30 at home.
"It's encouraging that there are still some tweaks that we can do. But in the end, what it does come down to, I think, is what you do in the races, and the commitment in Mallorca or Valencia, let's focus on that.
"You get a hell of a lot out of that last 45 minutes of a race where you're in the fight, maybe even more than an extra week at altitude in January. With him going to the tour, obviously, that's part of the process, and there's still going to be time for two exposures towards the Tour de France."
