Remco Evenepoel Reflects on Narrow Defeat: “The finish line was 10 metres too early for me”
In a thrilling race, Remco Evenepoel narrowly missed out on a fourth stage win at the latest cycling event. The young cyclist expressed his satisfaction with his performance but acknowledged the small error that cost him the victory.
Evenepoel admitted, “I think I made one mistake, or just a calculation mistake, I was surprised by the early sprint from Wout [Poels]. I came back very strong but the finish line was 10 metres too early for me.”
Despite this setback, Evenepoel highlighted the team’s excellent performance throughout the race. “We took the last 60 kilometers in our hands. The other guys attacked very early, and I spoke on the radio and I said: ‘Look, now we control the stage ourselves, we try to make the best of it, go every climb faster and faster and we’ll see on the final climb how it happens’,” he explained.
The deteriorated condition of the cobbles posed a challenge for Evenepoel, who struggled in that section but managed to catch up. Reflecting on his performance, he recognized a potential mistake in his pacing. “Maybe I made a small mistake when I stopped pushing when I had 20 meters on the others in the valley,” he admitted.
Overall, Evenepoel remained positive, stating, “We cannot really say it was a bad day for us, we did a really good job.” Acknowledging Wout Poels’ well-deserved victory, Evenepoel emphasized his team’s achievements, saying, “I think it’s a pity I don’t take my fourth victory, but we can be very proud with three stage wins, three times second, a few times fourth, and also the best climber’s jersey.”
Despite narrowly missing out on the win, Evenepoel’s positive attitude and impressive performance bode well for his future races.
