How Evenepoel’s race plan was partly thrown out after just 80 kilometres because of Bahrain Victorious team car

Australian rider Jarrad Drizners, who joined the team from Lotto over the winter, may not be the first name that comes to mind when people talk about Red Bull, but within the squad everyone is full of praise for his positioning skills. From the Van Dijke brothers to Evenepoel and Van Poppel, they all want him in the line-up when the biggest prizes are at stake.

That made it all the more frustrating that he had to abandon after barely 80 kilometres with what is believed to be a broken collarbone. “We lost Jarrad after he was touched by the Bahrain car. From that moment we had to adjust, I won’t say gamble, towards the first passage of the Kwaremont. We did not want to sacrifice two or three riders just for positioning there,” sports director Klaas Lodewyck explained.

“Losing Jarrad was a real blow, because he is very important,” Gianni Vermeersch agreed. Mick van Dijke added: “From that point on it was already up to me. We had to keep Remco in position and I think we managed that. But it definitely cost a lot of energy,” said the rider from Colijnsplaat.

“I can only be satisfied with the race we rode and the result that came out of it,” said Evenepoel. “The team was super good. We had three really important points: the Eikenberg, the Molenberg and Berg ten Houte. We wanted to start those climbs in the first ten positions and that worked every time, although at Berg ten Houte it was no longer really necessary. I can only thank my team-mates.”

“Remco felt good and I think we hit the Molenberg with three guys among the first five. We did that really well, and after that it was up to Remco, Tim and Gianni. I think that was perfect teamwork. It’s just a shame we lost Jarrad. It is to our credit that we still had three riders in the first group after the selection on the Molenberg — we handled that very neatly,” Van Dijke said on behalf of both himself and his brother Tim. “After that I did not see much more of the race. I could not stay with them any longer myself, but that is logical.”

“From the Eikenberg onwards, the plan was to be in the first ten and then the race exploded on the Molenberg,” said Vermeersch, who himself made the first group of 15 together with Tim van Dijke. “It was pretty logical for us, with three riders in a group of fifteen, to help keep things rolling. From a tactical point of view, it was not ideal to attack, because then everything would stall and the peloton could come back.”

“For us it was actually a good situation,” Lodewyck said. “We told them: if everyone contributes, then we contribute as well. You can try to ride away, of course, but then you also burn a rider. With all due respect to a Van Dijke or a Gianni, it was wiser for them to stay on board there and give Remco the feeling that he was not on his own.”

On the Oude Kwaremont and eventually especially the Paterberg, Evenepoel then had to let Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar go, although he came close to rejoining them several times. “It was impressive. That accumulation of short climbs one after another was really hard, and I especially noticed on the Paterberg that I was still lacking just a little bit. If I have to take one lesson from this, that is it.”

“When Mathieu came to the front, I felt like I could come back. But as soon as Tadej took over again, that changed immediately. If I had been able to get back on, the whole finale would have changed for me. Now it was absolutely brutal, with the final blow coming just before the Steenbeekdries.”

“I am happy,” Evenepoel continued. “This is the result we had hoped for, so we can be satisfied. Tadej did not want to let me come back — that was what was missing. Mathieu did not seem to have a problem with it, but I am sure Tadej did. It was a very hard race, especially in terms of endurance. I was constantly close to getting back, but in the end it was game over.”

“The team was very strong, just as it has been in the other Flemish classics. Third was the highest possible result after an honest race. For a first Tour of Flanders, this was very good, because experience really helps you here,” Lodewyck said. “There are still a few things we can fine-tune, but first we should enjoy this third place.”

And then... a special trick in the form of Paris-Roubaix? “We have played with your feet enough already, but it could still happen. The chance is not very big, though,” Evenepoel concluded.