Remco Evenepoel is one of the best professional cyclists who has made his own path to success. Being a son of Patrick Evenepoel, a former racing cyclist who won the 1993 Grand Prix de Wallonie,
Remco initially started his career in football in his early childhood. However, he later realized his physical abilities made him more suited for cycling and turned professional with Deceuninck–Quick-Step.
Recently, he arrived in Spain as the defending champion of the Vuelta a Espana. Unfortunately, the hopes of retaining the title seem to be a bit difficult as he finished 60th on Stage 13 on Friday. Following the events, Remco Evenepoel admitted his “tank was empty” and was not sick or injured. With 55km to go on the stage, Remco lost 5:53 on Kuss and his other main GC rivals.
What Happened With Remco Evenepoel In Spain?
Earlier, he had won Stage 3 of the event and led the overall standings for three days of the first week in Spain. The 23-year-old Belgian cyclist is now in 19th in the general classification, almost half an hour behind race leader Sepp Kuss, which came as a shock.
As the stage was won by Vingegaard atop the Tourmalet, Remco hinted that there was a choice to be made for the rest of the competition as he explained what happened.
“It was just one of those days where my tank was empty. We gave it everything and I have no regrets. I want to thank my teammates who stayed with me the whole day and left everything out there for me. We will discuss and look at where we go from here for the rest of La Vuelta.”
Remco Evenepoel
Is Remco Evenepoel Really Sick?
Ever since the event, it has been speculated that the Belgian rider has been suffering from an undeclared ailment, be it injury or illness. The Soudal Quick-Step sports director Klaas Lodewyck refused to agree on either of the issues and also claimed, “It was just a bad day for Remco.”
The sports director also added, “He was not sick or injured. It’s unfortunate and it can happen. Cycling is not racing on a simulator, and we are all human beings. We will sit down as a team tonight, assess what happened, and look at our goals for the rest of the race.”
It was termed as the biggest test of his cycling career as Remco, the lone rider, was set to go against the Jumbo-Visma trident and the UAE Team Emirates trio at the Queen Stage of the Vuelta a España. However, it turned out to be a disaster of epic proportions, the like of which no one could have imagined.
Following the series of unfortunate events and speculated injury, it would be interesting to see how Evenepoel can bounce back from such a difficult defeat. It is for sure that the events of Stage 13 will not be easily forgotten by the Belgian Champion.
However, one question will remain the same as though and whether he will now look for stage wins in the Vuelta.
Let us know what you think about it, and comment on your opinions.
