During the eighth stage of the Vuelta a España, there were several challenging climbs; however, the stage victory was determined by an exciting sprint. A select group of elite cyclists prepared for the finish line at Xorret de Cati. It was Primoz Roglic who displayed the most speed and secured the win, leaving Remco Evenepoel and Juan Ayuso behind.
Nevertheless, Evenepoel claims he didn’t know that the early breakaway had already been caught, and there was, therefore, a new race, this time for the stage victory. After the finish, the Belgian champion showed his frustration. “Klaas, buddy, you have to say that,” he shouted at his team leader, Klaas Lodewyck.
“I didn’t know we were racing for the victory,” he later stated. “I thought the breakaway was still ahead of us. In the final kilometer, I didn’t receive much information through the earpiece, and I couldn’t hear much from the crowd, so I didn’t know we had already caught the escapees.”
Evenepoel believes he could have won. “Am I angry with Klaas (Lodewyck, his team leader)? Yes, I’ll send him home,” he laughs. “No, I probably didn’t hear that with all the people shouting during the final climb. It’s just stupid because it could have been a beautiful stage victory.”