2023-09-14 18:36:00
And whether he is happy with his third stage victory and mountain jersey in this Vuelta. Despite his dashed classification ambitions, Remco Evenepoel, who dedicated the win at La Cruz de Linares to his wife Oumi, is very satisfied with his Tour of Spain. “This is the best I could make of it, I think.”
LOOK. Evenepoel: “Oumi asked to dedicate the victory to her”
Pointing to his head and with an O gesture he crossed the finish line. Remco Evenepoel dedicated his third stage win in the Vuelta to his wife Oumi. “She asked me that,” he smiled afterwards. “And the fact that I pointed to my head means that everything is in the head. That I can’t give up and that I have to keep going. It has not been easy in this Vuelta. In the car they shouted: ‘Real champions have a strong head.’ It was not an answer to the criticism that I had raced stupidly. I just wanted to say that I won’t crack mentally. After the complete breakdown, I was able to hit back hard twice.”
On La Cruz de Linares, Evenepoel not only took his third stage, he also mathematically secured the polka dot jersey. “It was a good opportunity to go for the mountain points in this stage and compete for a stage win. Why did I attack from so far away? I felt I was the strongest in the group and didn’t want to waste any time. This is a great ride to win. This Vuelta cannot be broken anymore.”
Oumi’s ‘O’ as a gesture for the stage victory. © AFP
Despite his off day last week, in the stage to the Tourmalet, Evenepoel speaks of a “successful and great” Tour of Spain. “After my off day I immediately turned the page and had stage wins and the polka dot jersey in mind. In the end I won three of the most beautiful stages and the mountains classification. Then we can be proud. The fact that I can finish the Vuelta with such good legs also means that I keep getting better.”
“If I go to the Tour next year, my preparation will have to be 100 percent focused on that,” Evenepoel is already looking to the future. “That was not the case now. I rode the World Championships, followed by an altitude internship. Everything had to happen quickly, quickly. I know I didn’t have the ideal preparation. I don’t want to blame it on the fact that I failed, but I know for myself that if I want to be top in a Grand Tour, I have to be 100 percent right for six months. It wasn’t like that this year. I had Covid, I rushed to the Tour of Switzerland. This is the best I could make of the Vuelta, I think. Somewhere in the back of my mind it was going to be difficult for rankings this year.”
LOOK. Evenepoel treats press chief to a champagne shower
Evenepoel ninth Belgian King of the Mountains in the Grand Tour:
Félicien Vervaecke opened the series in the 1935 Tour. The absolute record holder is, how could it be otherwise, Lucien Van Impe with six polka dot jerseys in the Tour and two (then) green mountain shirts in the Giro. Eddy Merckx held it twice in the Tour and once in the Giro.
* Félicien Vervaecke: Tour 1935 and 1937
* Sylvère Maes: Tour 1939
* Jean Brankart: Giro 1958
* Rik Van Looy: Giro 1960
* Eddy Merckx: Giro 1968, Tour 1969 en 1970
* Martin Van Den Bossche: Giro 1970
* Lucien Van Impe: Giro 1982 in 1983, Tour 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1981 in 1983
* Thomas De Gendt: 2018 return
* Remco Evenepoel: Vuelta 2023
READ ALSO.
What a solo! Impressive Evenepoel takes third stage victory and is certain of the mountain jersey, Sepp Kuss very close to final victory
A new milestone: Remco Evenepoel has already claimed his 50th individual professional victory
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