Remco Evenepoel has started altitude training in Livigno as he prepares for his final goals of 2025 and his farewell to Soudal-QuickStep.
The Belgian trained for the first time since abandoning the Tour de France last Monday and then confirmed his move to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe on Tuesday, sparking one of the biggest transfer stories of the summer. 48 hours after his transfer was confirmed, Evenepoel was declared fit and so travelled to the Italian Alps to prepare for his return to racing at the Tour of Britain.
Evenepoel was under contract with Soudal for 2026 but opted to pay his way out of the deal, to fast track his Tour de France ambitions with the German team.
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The Belgian has yet to talk at length about his change of team but admitted "It's time for something new" in a video call with Belgian footballer Romelu Lukaku, released by the Cresta legal firm that handled his transfer and contracts.
Evenepoel is expected to return to racing at the Tour of Britain in early September and will then target the World Championships in Rwanda and the European Championships in the south of France. Evenepoel's final race in Soudal's blue and white colours is likely to be Il Lombardia on October 11.
The call to attend an altitude camp meant Evenepoel was unable to attend his R.EV Ride mass-participation event near his home in Schepdaal.
"He's already in Livigno," his mother Agna told Nieuwsblad. "Two days ago, he was given the green light to leave for a training camp. He would have loved to be here and that was the initial plan, but that was with the idea that he would finish the Tour de France.
"But look, he does everything for his job; that's what's expected of him. The next goals have to be accomplished, and that can only be achieved by continuing to train. If he had stayed here, those training days would have been wasted."
Evenepoel won the stage 5 time trial around Caen and was third overall in the general classification for the first half of the Tour. However, he suffered in the Peyragudes mountain time trial and then climbed off during stage 14 to Superbagnères, struggling with fatigue. When at home he was hit by sinusitis but also completed the final details of his transfer to Red Bull.
"After the Tour, it was important to find some rest, reset, and recover properly, because he was quite ill. The most important thing was that he got healthy again. Now everything is back to normal," his mother explained.
"It's been a very busy time. Something like that always brings some stress and inconvenience. We're happy it's finally over. Now we can move on, Remco can finish his season and hopefully achieve more great things.
"Remco is someone who always has goals in mind. And to achieve those goals, you sometimes have to take action.
"Remco is very positive about what's to come, but of course he also had fantastic years at Quick-Step. We owe a lot to Patrick Lefevere. It's partly thanks to him that it all started for Remco. Now he hopes to conclude his time with the team successfully. And I know my son, he's going to do everything he can to achieve that."
Cyclingnews will cover all of the 2026 cycling transfers from around the men's and women's pelotons with news, analysis, and an updated transfer index, to make sure you don't miss a thing this transfer season.
