Vauquelin says Evenepoel was afraid of him, but Remco has different explanation for his unusual racing style in finale

Normally, we’d cover their stories separately, but Vauquelin brought up Evenepoel directly in his post-race interview with Eurosport. The Frenchman riding for Arkéa-B&B Hotels noticed that the Belgian from Soudal-Quick Step was pushing the pace when he, Pogacar and Vingegaard briefly got a gap on the final climb. “I was sitting nicely in Jonas’ wheel, but unfortunately Ilan Van Wilder braked in the corner, so I had to sprint from the bottom,” he explained.

Van Wilder, Evenepoel’s teammate, had just finished his turn pulling for his leader. Evenepoel, the Olympic champion, had launched his effort from the foot of the climb alongside Pogacar and Vingegaard. “I felt like Remco didn’t want me there. He was afraid, because he rode at the front the entire climb for the GC,” Vauquelin said. He eventually managed to catch back up with a small group that latched onto Evenepoel’s wheel, but added, “I couldn’t get back into position when Narváez returned with me and upped the pace.”

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So how did Evenepoel himself explain his approach in the finale, which Vauquelin interpreted as setting the pace out of fear? “I rode a solid finish and stayed out of trouble, so I’m definitely satisfied,” he told VTM. However, he admitted he paid for his efforts at the finish. “I didn’t have the legs left to sprint. Maybe I spent too much time in the wind, but it’s easy to say that in hindsight.”

Evenepoel, who also saw teammate Mattia Cattaneo abandon the stage with headaches after a crash a few days earlier, received praise from sports director Tom Steels. “He was in position straight away and felt good today. He wanted to ride his own finale, but Pogacar is just so explosive. Monday is another brutal stage that will be very painful. Until then, we need to stay fully focused. Now we have two sprint stages coming up, so we’ll see what we can do for Tim Merlier.”