Remco Evenepoel did not have the best day on the iconic ‘sterrati’ of Tuscany. He lost the contact with the favorites and crossed the finish line 2 minutes behind Egan Bernal.
“Unfortunately I lost two minutes. It was not my best day”, Evenepoel said. “I suffered a lot on the second sector and on the third, when they started sprinting, I felt that the legs were almost empty. That is why I came in last position and could no longer follow. This is how my body reacted after eleven days of racing, after such a long time without competitions. ”
“I am grateful to the team and Joao (Almeida) For the work they have done for me today from start to finish. It’s not a good result for me, but I’m still seventh in my first grand tour. I also remain confident, because it is still a long way to Milan,” said the 21-year-old Belgian.
At Deceuninck-Quick-Step they knew it would be a difficult stage, sports director Klaas Lodewyck said.
“We lost some time, but given the circumstances, this is not the end of the world. We’re not alone in losing time. It was a tough stage for many riders. We remain optimistic and motivated for the big mountain stages.”
