Remco Evenepoel Withdraws from Tour de France During Stage 14
Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel withdrew from the Tour de France during the gruelling 14th stage on Saturday, which featured a challenging climb up the Tourmalet mountain in the Pyrenees.
The 25-year-old Soudal Quick-Step rider was sitting third in the overall standings and had earlier claimed victory in stage five. However, he appeared visibly exhausted after Friday’s uphill time trial and was unable to continue.
Evenepoel, a double Olympic gold medallist in both the road race and time trial events in Paris, had shown promising form throughout the 21-stage race. He also secured the white jersey as the best young rider and finished third overall at the 2024 Tour de France.
His build-up to the race was disrupted by a training accident in Brussels last December involving a postal delivery van, which hampered his preparation. Despite this, he started the Tour strongly, with the early stages held near the Belgian border.
A tactical setback on the opening day—where he lost a minute after being caught in a crosswind split—cost him a potential chance to wear the yellow jersey early in the competition. Evenepoel later made a powerful statement by dominating the 33km time trial, but the earlier loss proved costly.
With Evenepoel out of the race, Soudal Quick-Step will now shift their focus to fellow Belgian rider Tim Merlier, who has already claimed two sprint stage victories during this year’s Tour.
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