He Belgian Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick Step), second in this Tuesday’s stage and in the overall Tour, said the leader Tadej Pogacar has again “shown his qualities” in his single victory at Valloire.
“Tadej Pogacar showed his qualities again. We know that when he attacks he is very explosive. I tried to follow him, but I couldn’t follow him. I reached the summit not too far from Vingegaard, so it wasn’t too bad. Then I went downhill and took too much risk, I almost paid cash,” commented the leader of Soudal, also the best youth in the white jersey.
He explained MrVuelta runner and world champion in 2022 the “fears” he had on the descent of the Galibier, where the road had wet sections.
“I slipped two or three times in quite wet sections, so I lost a bit of confidence. Others caught me and we reached the finish line with Vingegaard. In the end, I was able to run for second place,” he said.
Evenepoel finished happily in the first mountain test, with second place overall, 45 seconds behind Pogacar.
“I know I have to be ready for today, I may not be 100% but it’s definitely a good start. I said my goal is for a Top 5, so finishing second in a mountain that stage of the Tour and being second overall means I’m on the right track… but the Tour is long,” he commented.
As for the favorite to win the Tour, Evenepoel preferred to focus on his work, ensuring that even Pogacar could have a bad day.
“The race is still very long and Tadej may have a difficult day. In any case, I prefer to concentrate on what I can do with my team. Let’s fight until Nice and anyway, everything is going well and I’m having fun,” he concluded.
Source: La Verdad
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