Volta a Catalunya: Evenepoel on the podium atop Vallter 2000
Tuesday scheduled the first of the week’s three summit finishes, and Remco Evenepoel was one of the protagonists, just as he had been twenty-four hours before, in Sant Feliu de Guixols. This time, the 23-year-old Belgian took the race into his hands two kilometers from the finish, as the first GC favourite to show his intentions, the move coming as soon as teammate Ilan Van Wilder peeled off the front after some great pace-setting.
The World Champion produced two searing accelerations that brought back the lone leader of the second stage, before opening his sprint some 200 meters from the line. This netted him third – just behind Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo), who took the win – and four more bonus seconds that helped Remco cement his spot on the overall podium of the competition.
“I felt good today and had a strong team by my side. The pace pushed by the others on the first part of the climb, where we had the steepest gradients, was quite hard, but I remained calm and focused. I worked a lot in the finale, and maybe I started my sprint a bit early, but on the other hand I can be content with the two attacks I put in these condition. It’s the first time I did it in high altitude, so this is encouraging for the coming stages”, Evenepoel explained before the podium ceremony, where he received the best young rider’s jersey.
Photo credit: ©David Ramos / Getty Images
