Evenepoel doesn't expect an all-in Vingegaard and warns about the Alps: "Each stage scouted two or three times"

Following the tough stage to Plateau de Beille, Evenepoel remained grounded. 'I could just as easily hear from you later that I can't do it,' the Belgian remarked. In other words: the prizes of this edition of the Tour de France will only be awarded in Nice, and only then will he assess the final outcome.

On the rest day, he provided more context to Sporza. "Is my Tour already a success? I wouldn't want to have a collapse. Initially, the goal was top five. Now I'm in a pretty good position, but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be disappointed if I slipped a place," he honestly admits.

"Many questions have been answered in the past two days. Hopefully, I can maintain this level," says the Belgian, expressing pride in his performance in this Tour de France. "I've surprised myself the most with my positioning during nervous moments. Particularly during the gravel stage, I showed improvement in that regard. Everyone says the Tour is the most nerve-wracking race, and that's true. I feel like I've handled it reasonably well."

In third place - two minutes behind Vingegaard, but five minutes ahead of fourth-placed João Almeida - Evenepoel still has goals for the final week. "There are only two real mountain stages left and a tough time trial. I don't think Visma-Lease a Bike will go all-in risking a blow-up. Vingegaard would rather finish second than sixth or seventh," analyzes Evenepoel, who claims he is well-prepared for what's to come in the Alps. "It's an advantage to know which stages are coming. I've scouted almost every stage in the final week two or three times. The Pyrenees were telling. It was already a tough week with crosswinds and extreme temperatures. The Alps are different. The climbs are less steep, more regular, and have better asphalt."

At Visma | Lease a Bike, they're also keeping an eye on Evenepoel in this regard. The Belgian is now two minutes behind Vingegaard in the standings, but the Dutch team is impressed with the third-placed rider. "He's performing very impressively. He's had some major tours where he didn't perform as consistently as he is now. This Tour shows that he belongs among the best riders in the world on all types of terrain: crosswinds, gravel, steep hills, mountain stages... He's a bit behind Jonas and Pogacar, but he's also significantly ahead of numbers four, five, and six, who are also top riders," says sporting director Merijn Zeeman to HLN.

Looking ahead to the coming years, Visma | Lease a Bike is strongly considering Evenepoel. "If he can continue to grow, he will eventually compete for yellow. I appreciate him as an opponent. He doesn't hide. He declares his ambitions. That's something I really admire about Remco."