The sixth stage of Paris-Nice 2024 wasn't exactly a resounding success for Remco Evenepoel. The Belgian from Soudal Quick-Step watched rivals Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Brandon McNulty (UAE-Team Emirates), and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike) ride away to gain a one-minute lead, consequently moving ahead of him in the general classification.
"It was a very tough day. It actually started with the breakaway taking a long time to form. I felt quite good, especially on the climbs," Evenepoel stated to Sporza. Ultimately, he couldn’t keep up with the decisive move, but he believes it wasn’t necessarily a matter of lacking strength. "But I gambled a bit on the steep climb by letting Jorgenson break away because I think I could have responded," the Belgian admitted.
"In my mind, I was contemplating an attack on the final climb. Maybe I shouldn’t overthink so much in the future and just go with the feeling and my legs," he critiqued himself. What followed was a challenging chase, ultimately in vain. "I took my responsibility. It’s logical that they look to me and Primoz Roglic, but I was hoping for quicker support. At Decathlon-AG2R, they still had two riders, including Gall. Leader Plapp was also there. If we weren’t rotating with 5-6 riders, it was going to be tough," he said realistically.
"We lost most of the time on the final climb. In the end, they gained quite a lot of ground. And all that due to a small tactical mistake. Well, a big tactical blunder," Evenepoel corrected himself mid-conversation. Saturday awaits the peloton with the revamped queen stage, where Evenepoel will be eager to make up time. "Going all out? That will definitely happen. It's a completely different type of course. It will be a race again," he anticipates.