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Follow us on GoogleRemco Evenepoel endured a remarkable off-day on the third day of the UAE Tour, but according to Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe it had nothing to do with cramp. The Belgian leader of the race was repeatedly seen grabbing at his leg and lost a huge amount of time to his rivals on the steep final climb.
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So what happened to Evenepoel, who had impressed so much in recent weeks? He went three-from-three on Mallorca, won two stages at the Tour of Valencia and also took the overall title there. On stage 2 of the UAE Tour, he did what he so often does in a time trial: he dominated and pulled on the leader’s jersey.
But in the red jersey, things quickly went south as the gradients on the brutally steep Jebel Mobrah ramped up. Evenepoel eventually finished more than two minutes down on stage winner Antonio Tiberi, dropping from 1st to 11th overall. After three days, he now sits 1:44 behind the Bahrain Victorious rider.
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Why did Evenepoel lose so much time in the UAE Tour?
It was up to Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe sports director Klaas Lodewyck to look for explanations afterwards in his post-stage chat with Sporza. “Maybe he went over the limit,” was the first possible reason he offered, referring to Felix Gall’s attack that Evenepoel tried to follow. The Decathlon–CMA CGM rider looked strong at the time, but later paid for his effort.
“Take it easy” had been the message from Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe going into the stage, yet Evenepoel ignored that advice as soon as the first GC move went. Lodewyck saw his leader hit the wall: “Maybe he felt good,” “he was disappointed,” and “it was a slightly lesser day,” were the other lines offered by the Belgian directeur sportif.
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Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe to analyse what went wrong for Evenepoel
Evenepoel was not available to speak immediately after the finish, meaning Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe planned to analyse later in the evening what exactly went wrong on Jebel Mobrah. Lodewyck did, however, play down the suggestion of a cramp issue. “I don’t think that’s the case,” he said cautiously. So the answer to the big question will have to come later.
For Evenepoel and Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe, the focus now has to shift to other objectives. With a 1:44 deficit, overall victory will be “very difficult,” Lodewyck admitted — “unless a miracle happens.”
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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