Bakelants criticizes Evenepoel and van Aert: "Soudal Quick-Step loser of the weekend"

Alpecin-Deceuninck won the first two stages, and that was certainly not predicted. Jasper Philipsen was not the top favorite for victory in Lille. Bakelants explains how they achieved this. “First and foremost, they don't fret over the races in the run-up,” he says in his analysis for Het Laatste Nieuws. “Philipsen wasn't as convincing as Merlier in the Tour of Belgium, but he's the one who won a stage in the Tour. The team also won when it was important in the opening weekend with (Philipsen) and Milan-San Remo (with Van der Poel).”

“Secondly, they prove that the Tour is not a place to line up a B team, unlike other teams that leave riders at home because they have already signed elsewhere – hello, Monsieur Heulot,” he mocked Lotto. Florian Vermeersch was not selected for the 2024 team; he now rides for UAE Team Emirates – XRG. “A kick-in-the-rear policy is not just about regret. Xandro Meurisse and Gianni Vermeersch left the team—which makes sense when I hear the amounts involved—and yet they are present in the Tour and proving why.”

There have also been changes in the GC, especially in Saturday's echelon stage. "Soudal Quick-Step is the loser of the weekend," notes the Belgian former pro. “Both Tim Merlier and Remco Evenepoel have already missed their date with history in this Tour. Remco is the best time trialist ever, but I don't see him riding 45 seconds faster than Pogacar or Vingegaard in a 33-kilometer time trial.”

“No one expects Remco to win the Tour; it's the way he has lost so much time that I find painful,” Bakelants explains. "I find it strange that he didn't get involved in the uphill sprint for the win on Sunday while his competitors did. I've seen him in the past go full throttle in the wind from echelon two to echelon one in one go." Thijs Zonneveld also criticized Evenepoel's racing strategy.

“Given his aero position and fast riding skills, he's an echelon specialist, but now he was on the sidelines. He didn't even take a single turn at the front in the chase. The reason? It seems that he's not feeling good about himself. This is definitely not the eager Remco we saw at work last week at the Belgian Championships.” Evenepoel was extremely aggressive in Binche, but for now, the Olympic champion is keeping his legs still. "The Tour is still long, but he has missed his start."

Bakelants has more criticism for his team, who did not protect their leader well. "Where were Cattaneo and Schachmann on Saturday when the echelons formed? Wasn't Eenkhoorn brought along as a bodyguard to make sure Remco didn't lose any time in the first week? On Sunday, they showed small signs of improvement, but Remco was isolated again on the final climb. Everyone feared that his team would capsize in stage ten, but that actually happened in stage one."

While Evenepoel lost time, Jonas Vingegaard gained time with his third place in the second stage. "Jonas Vingegaard is having a dream start and couldn't be in a better position than he is now. Finishing third behind Van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar and gaining four seconds after such an uphill sprint is impressive. He could never beat those two in his life on a finish like that, and yet he minimized the damage."

The Dane stands out with his aggressive racing style, something Bakelants is only too happy to see. "On Saturday, he was the instigator of the decisive echelon battle, and on Sunday, he also attacked at the right moment. He has already shown more initiative this past weekend than in the entire previous edition. I think it's an exaggeration to call Vingegaard the winner of the weekend, but whereas his passive racing style used to cause a lot of irritation, he has now earned admiration. He is continuing in the same style as we saw in the Dauphiné."

Still, there is a hiccup for Visma | Lease a Bike: Wout van Aert is invisible. "Yet the race scenario of the opening weekend was tailor-made for Wout van Aert. Did Wout push himself too hard after his stomach flu to make up for lost time? In any case, it was not intentional that he was not in the echelon battle. A good rider doesn't miss an echelon. The fact that Remco and Wout both ride with distinctive helmets doesn't help them escape that observation."