Belgian Soudal Quick-Step racer Remco Evenepoel declared that an early acceleration may have damaged his chances of victory in the first mountain stage of the Volta ao Algarve. The athlete had to settle for second place, losing to Daniel Felipe Martínez in the final sprint on the climb to Alto da Foia.
Evenepoel’s Reflections
“Everything went well,” said Evenepoel at the end of the race to the website CyclingPro.Net.
“Maybe second place wasn’t the best possible result today; I made a small mistake by accelerating early. My goal was to surprise everyone and put them upwind.”
“But if someone is a little faster, I think it’s good that you don’t waste time. We really wanted to win the stage, but we don’t always get what we want.”
Soudal QuickStep controlled the pace
Soudal QuickStep showed its strength throughout the day, dominating the front line of the peloton. The team controlled the day’s breakaway and controlled the pace on the final climb, with James Knox and Mikel Landa taking the lead.
“The team showed how strong it can be today, so we have to be proud of that. They controlled the entire race. I’m proud of my teammates. It’s a shame that an opponent was a little faster.”
The wind factor
On the final climb, the wind was completely against the runners, something unexpected for Evenepoel. “The wind direction had changed, perhaps because we were climbing into the clouds towards the end. That was a surprise, but I think we did okay.”
“We stayed out of trouble all day, even though the stage was quite treacherous. We were always up front when we needed to be there. And finishing second is a good way to start the week. There are still opportunities ahead.”
Follow the arrival and observe the wind represented by the flags