Van Aert skips sprint despite promise, Evenepoel breaks buddy Van der Poel’s heart: "During a race, we're not friends"

“I got caught off guard,” Van Aert admitted to Sporza. “That wasn’t smart, but I could feel I didn’t have much left in the tank.” A shame, because Visma had clear plans for the day. “We really wanted to take control with our team.”

What followed was a very chaotic phase in the wind. “I think there was enough wind, I think, but it never really hit quite right,” Van Aert noted. “I had hoped to go to the finish in a crosswind group and sprint for the win, but I just didn’t have the legs.”

The nervous racing made for a grueling final hour. “The finale started 50 kilometers from the finish, and I just wasn’t feeling great. It cost me a lot of energy to stay near the front. As a team, we wanted to make those echelons happen, but I could only contribute so much,” the Belgian concluded.

In part thanks to Evenepoel, Van der Poel couldn’t pull off a surprise win in Châteauroux. In the final kilometers, the Soudal Quick-Step leader pushed the pace at the front of the peloton and helped close the gap to the Dutchman. “Mathieu is a buddy, but today was a race day, and during a race, we're not friends,” Evenepoel said told HLN with a laugh. “I ride for Soudal Quick-Step, not Alpecin-Deceuninck.”

The Belgian's effort paid off. Teammate Tim Merlier sealed the stage with a powerful sprint. “I said I would help Tim today. It's nice that he took his second win, and it’s the team’s third.”

The two Belgians hugged after the race. “Nice, bro,” Evenepoel said. The stage winner returned the praise. “This victory is thanks to Remco. He was very strong. It was like he didn’t feel his legs.”

Speaking to the organization, Evenepoel reflected on Sunday’s stage: “The stage was only calm for 6 or 7 kilometers. After that, it was nervous and lively all the way to the end. We stayed very alert, because I didn’t want to have the same problem as in the first stage. So I rode behind my teammates, and everything went well.”

“In the finale, I helped Tim a bit, and then he won,” the Belgian continued. “When your team wins and you contributed to it, it feels like a win for yourself too. Four years ago, it was also the third win for our team here with Cavendish. So history has repeated itself.”

Overall, Evenepoel was in good spirits: “In terms of stage wins, we can be happy with three victories. Now we’ll see if I can improve on my third place from last year.” Looking ahead to Monday, the Belgian thinks it will be the first real GC battle. “It’s a stage for the climbers, and we’ll see whether UAE wants to go for the win. It’s not necessarily one of the hardest stages, so the time gaps might not be that big. But we can’t afford to lose time either. I can’t wait to start this fight. It’s going to be interesting, explosive, and maybe even surprising,” Evenepoel concluded.