At the end of a 1st stage of the Tour de France which saw him lose 39 seconds against Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel appeared more sorry for his sprinter Tim Merlier after an error of the Sudal Quick-Step collective.
Remco Evenepoel hoped for a better start of Tour de France. A candidate affirmed to the podium after having finished third last year, the leader of the Sudal-Quick Step team lost time from the 1st stage. Indeed, the double Olympic champion last year in Paris cut the finish line 39 seconds after his compatriot Jasper Philipsen, first carrier of the yellow jersey of this 112th edition of the Grande Boucle. A time he also lost with Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard but not from Primoz Roglic, who was also trapped. Because this is what happened to the native of Alst.
While his team attempted a border after the descent of Mount Cassel, it was in such a race phase when approaching the last 20 kilometers that the world champion of the time trial was won without capacity to return. Asked after concluding this step, Remco Evenepoel admitted that his team made “a big mistake” hoping that this start of Tour de France would be peaceful before confiding that “it’s always a little crazy to start like that”.
Ignoring his personal situation, the 25 -year -old runner has confided his regret for not being able to play the stage victory with his sprinter.
Evenepoel: “We sort of sleeping ourselves”
“” I think the most disappointing today (Saturday) is that we failed to get the stage with Tim Merlierhe launched in remarks collected by theAFP. I think it’s more disappointing than my waste of time. “Returning to the circumstances of the break that was fatal to him, Remco Evenepoel sums up this by saying that he” was too far with the team “with runners from the Sudal-Quick Step team who” were lost a little bit before a shift that started everything. “” We knew it was the last place for something to happen, we knew it, but we sort of sleeping because the race was very calm at that time “Concluded the winner of the best young white jersey last year.
A delay of 39 seconds which could prevent him from playing the yellow jersey during the first time trial, scheduled for Wednesday on 33 kilometers around Caen. Before that, there will be a stage announced as a tracking this Sunday between Lauwin-Planque and Boulogne-sur-Mer with Remco Evenepoel which even announces “an explosive race” who could again rebathe the cards. After the collective failure given this Saturday, the Sudal-Quick Step training will not have the right to make mistakes.
