Tuesday 3 September 2024 at 16:57
Remco Evenepoel could raise his hands after the finish of the first stage of the Tour of Britain. Not because he was the first to cross the line, but because his teammate Paul Magnier managed to win the sprint. But how did the Belgian feel about his comeback?
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Evenepoel did not have an ideal run-up to the six-day Tour of Britain due to illness. The double Olympic champion attacked briefly in the final of the opening stage, but did not get away. How did he feel on the way? “Difficult, I was not completely at my best either”, the Soudal Quick-Step rider gasped in conversation with Sporza foot on.
To acidify
“As soon as someone went through, I started to get really sour. But overall, I have a good feeling about this, you know. It’s a good starting point to continue working. No, that disease was no longer dormant in my body. I did notice that I missed intensive training. The feeling is not super bad, but I have been better.”
But Evenepoel proved strong enough in the final to keep his young French teammate Paul Magnier out of the danger zone, in the run-up to the sprint. The neo-pro then finished it off with verve. “If he can keep up on the difficult climbs, then you know he’s good,” Evenepoel said. “He was clearly the strongest today.”
Evenepoel was even more recognizable in the peloton. The 24-year-old rider rode his first race as Olympic road champion and completed his kilometers in a special outfit (with the necessary gold accents). “It was chic to ride around like that. I also received a lot of compliments about the bike. That gives me extra wings,” laughs Evenepoel.
