Remco Evenepoel finished seventh in the main stage of the Tour de San Juan on Friday in Argentina. After an attack ten kilometers from the summit of the Alto del Colorado, the world champion had to bow to a group of Colombian lightweights. “My attack was a bit of a suicide attempt“, acknowledged the Soudal-Quick Step runner.
The high altitude of the Alto del Colorado, strong in-form Colombian opposition and the fact that he himself was still in the middle of his preparation made things difficult for Evenepoel in the only mountain stage.
The world champion complicated his life by attacking ten kilometers from the finish. It cracked a few kilometers further and might not respond to the acceleration of the Colombian climbers. “Maybe I should have saved that attack for the last mile“, admitted Evenepoel following the race.
“She aimed to open the race, hoping that a few good runners would pounce. But no one wanted to. I should have stopped right away. But I felt really good. Until, five minutes later, I was full of lactic acid. I mightn’t do it anymore. I have to be honest: it was not a good idea. Rather a bit stupid. It was a bit of a suicide attempt.“
Evenepoel crossed the line 1:09 following the winner, Miguel Angel Lopez. With two more stages for sprinters on the programme, his chances of a new final success seem compromised. So early in the season, he does not attach too much importance to it. “It is in this kind of races that mistakes are allowed“, he summarized. “As long as it doesn’t happen in the Giro. All the riders ahead of me are already more advanced in their preparation than me. The Colombians spent a whole winter training at altitude, Filipo Ganna is in full preparation for the Euros on the track, while I haven’t trained for this kind of effort yet. I’m not disappointed with my form, but with the decisions I made.“
