Belgium slightly in panic over Evenepoel, Wiggins also comments: "I wouldn't be surprised if he calls it quits"

“It's a fact that he's lost momentum,” said José De Cauwer on Sporza. “He had already lost momentum yesterday, but in hindsight, that was understandable. He said that if that had been his bad day, he had recovered well afterward. He lost a little time yesterday, but not as much as his closest rivals."

That wasn't necessarily the case in Friday's climbing time trial, but De Cauwer sees a downward spiral. "He's got a few fresh young guys behind him, even though he's still young and fresh himself. But a Lipowitz has an entirely different spirit. He's up there with Roglic, who will take advantage of the freedom he has. He's more than 7 minutes behind and can try something. Then it's up to the teams of Evenepoel, Vauquelin, or Vingegaard to go after him."

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Even Lance Armstrong and sidekick Bradley Wiggins discussed Evenepoel at length in their podcast The Move. Armstrong spoke of a ‘demoralizing’ day, during which Jonas Vingegaard even overtook him. According to Wiggins, there is considerable pressure from Belgium. “The Tour is his main goal this year. And now, as the top time trialist, it's like he's been made a fool of. I wouldn't be surprised if Remco withdraws from the Tour. He looked so devastated after the finish.”

Wiggins is really curious to see how resilient Evenepoel is. “It's tough to be in the Tour when you have nothing left to fight for. Of course, he still has that podium place to fight for, but how much fighting spirit does he have left? If your legs don't work, they don't work.” Armstrong: “We're all fans of Remco. But there are just a few riders, really good riders, who simply can't win the Tour. There's something about this race, something specific. A kind of block."

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Was there no one left who still had a little faith in Evenepoel? Yes, definitely! Tom Dumoulin tried to cheer up the Belgians on Friday evening at Vive le Vélo. "Surprisingly, he lost so much ground in such a short effort; that's not like him. They won't let him ride because he's still third in the GC. So he has to be with the best riders. He'll try to consolidate his position. But he'll be better on Saturday than he was today."

Dumoulin wonders whether Evenepoel is struggling to maintain his weight. "It's been a very tough race so far. He's a rider who has to work hard to be at the right weight, especially on the climbs. I was like that too. Sometimes you miscalculate your food intake, and then you're just a little lacking for a few days. That builds up, and then you have bad days. The fact is that he's not at the same level as last year. I think that's a real shame."