Stage 12 of the Tour de France proved to be a grueling challenge for Remco Evenepoel, as the Soudal-QuickStep leader faced a difficult day on the road to Hautacam.
The 171km stage, featuring the punishing Col du Soulor and a summit finish, saw Evenepoel struggle early, raising concerns about a potential collapse in his general classification ambitions.
“I didn’t have the best legs and feeling today”, said Evenepoel. “The pace was hard the entire day and I lost contact with the others, but I was lucky to have Ilan by my side and he was of great help, followed by Max, who took over after dropping back from the break, that’s why I want to say a big thank you to my team for their support.”
“It was hard and I suffered, but I gave my best, kept fighting and clawed my way back to the front. It was just sheer determination that kept me going. Then, on the last ascent, I climbed at my own pace and I’m glad I could remain on the overall podium after this brutal stage. Now I hope to put these bad feelings behind me and do a good time trial on Friday, as it’s going to be an important day for the general classification, and then I will just continue to take it day by day”, an upbeat Remco said after the stage.
