Evenepoel far from panicking after Del Toro’s early strike: “Good for him and his team”

The slightly rising run-in to the finish at the Liwa Palace had already produced a lively finale last year. Jonathan Milan won there for Lidl–Trek in 2025, but several GC riders also managed to place in the top five — so it was widely expected that the favourites could be active again in 2026.

Del Toro seized that opportunity immediately, meaning he will start Tuesday’s individual time trial in the leader’s jersey — and with those 10 seconds in hand over Evenepoel. “I only found out when I sat down here,” Evenepoel told Sporza after the stage about his rival’s victory.

To be clear, Evenepoel did not need to force the issue on day one, and the time loss did not seem to bother him much. Still, he acknowledged the value of bonus seconds in this race. “That’s very nice for him and for his team,” said the Belgian. “Bonification seconds always play a role here. In 2023, I was able to benefit from that twice as well on the uphill finish.”

Evenepoel immediately stressed, though, that it changes nothing about what comes next: “This ultimately changes nothing about the tactics and the mindset for tomorrow.” The time trial is 12.1 kilometres long and, on paper, should offer him a chance to claw time back quickly. “Hopefully — that has to be the intention, to ride it back. Or at least to take as much time back as possible,” he said. “Tomorrow’s flat time trial should suit me.”

There was also clear respect for Del Toro’s level. “He’s someone who is very strong and will be highly motivated,” Evenepoel noted. “My goal has to be to win the time trial and try to take over the leader’s jersey.” Whether conditions will allow a full race remains a question, after strong winds already impacted the opening day. “In recent days, a lot of races have been shortened or cancelled because of the wind,” Evenepoel concluded. “Let’s hope the wind calms down a bit and we can race normally.”