Remco Evenepoel was named Belgium's Sportsman of the Year for the fifth consecutive year on Sunday, and Eddy Merckx's record of six titles serves as inspiration for his 2026 season. The 25-year-old Evenepoel has been a professional cyclist for seven years and has only missed out on the Sportsman of the Year award in seasons when crashes or injuries hampered his success.
"I think this is the biggest award a Belgian athlete can win. I am truly honored to receive it again," said Evenepoel after flying to Belgium for a day from Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe's training camp in Mallorca.
The event organizers arranged a private jet for Evenepoel – he trained in the morning and was back in Spain by Sunday night. "In seven years as a professional cyclist, I have won five times. And the two years I didn't win, I was injured," Evenepoel said.
He is now approaching the legendary Merckx, who won the Sportsman of the Year title six consecutive times from 1969 to 1974. "I'm not far from it, and I still have a few years ahead of me. It's a beautiful goal to achieve and surpass. It would be wonderful and a great honor to be compared to such a great name. I want to try to be the best athlete Belgium has ever known," said Evenepoel.
This year, Evenepoel won the Belgian, European, and World Championship titles in time trials, but the season was emotionally varied after a winter crash that severely disrupted his preparation and delayed the start of his season. He won a time trial stage at the Tour de France but subsequently withdrew from the race due to fatigue.
"It was a year of ups and downs," Evenepoel explained. "A good start, a difficult middle, and a strong finish. I am very happy with how I finished the season. It gives me a lot of motivation and morale to get through the winter strongly."
The Red Bull training camp marked Evenepoel's official start with the German super team after he terminated his contract with Soudal–QuickStep the previous year. Evenepoel and Red Bull considered participating in the Tour of Flanders and the Giro d'Italia in 2026 but ultimately opted for a more traditional and conservative season, with the main goals being the Tour and the World Championships in Canada.
He will make his Red Bull racing debut in the Mallorca Challenge team time trial (TTT) before heading to the stage race Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana.
