At the end of the 5th stage of the Vuelta a España, a stage without major ascents, most riders finished in the peloton after 186 kilometers, but two cyclists crossed the line fifteen minutes later. Andrea Bagioli and Louis Vervaeke. Two of the main domestiques of the current champion and red jersey holder, Remco Evenepoel.
In an interview with the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws on Thursday morning, sports director Klaas Lodewyck declined to reveal the reason for the athletes’ poor performance.
“Vervaeke and Bagioli struggled a bit yesterday. We hope today goes better for them. Of course, we’re concerned about them, but that’s all we can do. Together with the medical team, we’ve done everything we could to get these guys in good shape today,” the former cyclist said. “What the exact complaints are, we won’t communicate.”
“The team is now taking extra health measures to protect Evenepoel as best as possible? Lodewyck: ‘I believe the measures we’ve taken for this Vuelta are good. We’ll stick to that.'”