Remco Evenepoel's Tour de France Stage 3 statement: 'I missed an extra burst'

In the 3rd stage of the Tour de France, Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), who has previously gained time on his rivals on short and steep uphill finishes, remained in the background this time against Tadej Pogačar's superior performance. The Slovenian star of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Pogačar, with his fierce attack on the Les Angles climb, both secured the stage victory and donned the yellow jersey as the general classification leader. Despite this, the Belgian cyclist stated that he was not disappointed with his performance at all, even though he finished the stage in eighth place and missed the victory by just four seconds. In his post-race evaluation, Evenepoel emphasized that on an intense and hot day, he was aware of his own limits and determined his strategy accordingly. With this result, he successfully defended his third place in the general classification, keeping his chance to continue the fight for the yellow jersey until the very end.

Speaking after the stage, Evenepoel admitted to the Belgium-based newspaper Nieuwsblad that his performance was generally good, but he could not find the explosive power he was looking for in critical moments. He noted that the race starting with long breakaway attempts and ending with a hard climb of about two kilometers created a massive physical pressure on the cyclists. He stated that despite the exhausting effect of the daily long distances and hot weather conditions, he put in all his effort to stay at the front of the peloton. Evenepoel added that he managed to preserve himself well until reaching the finish line and avoided taking an aggressive risk considering his position in the overall standings. He underlined that this measured approach is of vital importance for a giant three-week race like the Tour de France.

The world champion cyclist attributed his satisfaction with this result primarily to his long absence from racing. Evenepoel had stayed away from the fields for more than two months following his third-place finish in the Liège-Bastogne-Liège classic, entering a period of training and rest. He openly admitted that this long break made itself heavily felt, especially in the high-wattage and explosive sprint sections of the final climbs, causing the cyclist to lose his racing rhythm. He noted that short-term and sudden bursts of power require not only an individual's physical strength but also that fine psychological harmony gained by staying in competition. Upon feeling his body becoming inefficient in the final climb during this process, he stated that the smartest move was simply to hold on to the leading group and reach the finish by minimizing the loss.

When evaluating the dynamics within the stage, it is evident that the special design of the race also had a major impact on Evenepoel reaching his physical limits. He stated that, unlike the 2nd stage raced at Montjuic the previous day, the final climb of the 3rd stage demanded a much more explosive effort, which determined the tactical limits. In the short and clear 700-meter finishing sprint at Montjuic, he had managed to stay right behind Pogačar and Del Toro, dropping riders like Vingegaard. However, he noted that 24 hours later, in this new stage requiring much more sudden power, the conditions had completely changed, and the balance of power among the favorites took on a different dimension. The cyclist interpreted the noticeable difference between his own time-trial and tempo strength and his sprint efforts as a natural occurrence in these types of heterogeneous stages.

Despite all these competitive challenges and individual shortcomings, being where he needs to be at the start of the Tour de France provides Evenepoel with a great source of motivation. Being only 23 seconds behind in the total time and his solid third place in the general classification mean that everything is still possible for the yellow jersey. He moves forward with the belief that his physical condition will improve day by day and that his team will continue to provide him with full support during this process. Furthermore, displaying professional sportsmanship, he did not hide his respect for his rival Tadej Pogačar's aggressive and directive tactical approach, which takes full advantage of every opportunity to win. Praising Pogačar and his team UAE Team Emirates' ability to control the race, Evenepoel aims to play a much more active role in this paced choreography in the upcoming stages by solidifying his own conditions.