Remco Evenepoel showed a lot of resilience in the 14th stage of the Vuelta a España. The Belgian from Soudal Quick-Step smartly won the challenging Pyrenean stage with a spectacular performance after falling from the top of the classification yesterday following a collapse. “I didn’t sleep much last night,” he told Eurosport.
“It was a tough day yesterday. I had a bad night. I had a lot of negative thoughts. When I woke up, I said, ‘I’ll keep going.’ I’ve explored this stage, so I knew the climbs very well. I knew how difficult it was. It’s very nice to win my second stage,” said the World Time Trial Champion.
Even in the early flat phase, Evenepoel was particularly active at the front of the race. “I went full gas. I felt good. I was constantly in all the breakaways. In the end, I was the only one at the front, but Mattia (Cattaneo, Remco’s teammate) joined later and set a strong pace, which significantly reduced the group. When Juan Pedro Lopéz attacked, I counterattacked and went to the front with Romain Bardet.”
Evenepoel and Bardet
“We extended our lead on the descent. We worked well together. We agreed that I would work on the climbs while he would ride on the flats. I just wasn’t sure if he could keep up with me, but he ended up staying with me for a long time,” he continued.
Finally, when asked about his plans for the rest of the Vuelta a España, Evenepoel has no doubts: “The mountain jersey and more stage wins are a big goal for the upcoming days,” concluded the 23-year-old rider, who today took over the mountain jersey from Jonas Vingegaard.
