Evenepoel both frustrated and proud at the Tour de France: 'Disbelief in me is unjustified once again'

What a Tour de France Remco Evenepoel has had. The Belgian rider from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe has two stage wins under his belt and will finish second on the final podium in Paris, barring any unexpected developments. He showed his strength again in Stage 20, but his frustration was evident after he fell just short of a third stage victory.

Evenepoel accelerated on the final climb toward Alpe d'Huez and came close to winning the stage, but ultimately finished 26 seconds behind Richard Carapaz. The King of the Mountains claimed his second victory, while Evenepoel finished as runner-up. He crossed the finish line cursing and slammed his hand on the handlebars: he felt he could have done better.

He explained his frustration to the NOS. “I’m really happy, anyway. But because of my winner’s mentality, there’s a tiny bit of disappointment about the stage. But it’ll probably sink in within half an hour. I’m 20 seconds behind Carapaz, so the climb should have been two kilometers longer. But I had another really good day. Second place—that’s fantastic.”

And so, disappointment gave way to pride. Evenepoel won two stages: he was the best on the Plateau de Solaison and also took the win in the time trial the next day. This also earned him second place in the general classification, although Jonas Vingegaard’s withdrawal was also a factor in that.

What does that second-place finish mean to him? “We’re not in Paris yet, are we?” Evenepoel says realistically in an interview with Eurosport, among others. “I still have one stage left to ride. But I’m really happy to wrap up the mountains with a great day like today. I was a little disappointed, because I always try to win. But I did what I could. Second place in the general classification and two stage wins: a really great Tour, for myself and the team.”

Evenepoel knew who to thank after his performance in this Tour. “My wife, my family, David (De Klerk, coach—ed.), Dario (Kloeck, mechanic), Klaas (Lodewyck, team director)—these people played a huge role. I’m very satisfied. It took a lot of hard work to reach this level, but thanks to the work behind the scenes and the necessary patience, I managed to pull it off. The skepticism about me was, once again, unfounded,” he says with a wink.

When Thijs Zonneveld asks him what it will take to take the next step and truly contend for the Tour victory, Evenepoel responds wittily but realistically. “Pogi not starting,” he laughs. “At least for the next few years, it’s that simple.”