Evenepoel shuts down critics with stunning win: Can he challenge Pogacar? Remco weighs in

It was more than clear that the Belgian was the man to beat in and around Gevrey-Chambertin. Even yellow jersey holder Pogacar saw the diminutive Flemish rider, who stood head and shoulders above him, as the top contender for the stage win. Evenepoel's Dutch trainer, Koen Pelgrim, already spoke to IDLProCycling.com the day before the time trial. He had a lot of confidence in his protégé's chrono performance. "We hope to win the stage, of course. That is the goal. Then you would automatically gain time on the competitors," Pelgrim assessed.

And gain time, Evenepoel did! He was twelve seconds faster than the Slovenian, and the ex-footballer even gained 34 and 37 seconds respectively on Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard. "It's crazy," Evenepoel began the flash interview. "I had a good day. The climb was tough, though. I wanted to start fast, but I had to save something for that tricky climb. The descent was also quite technical and on the limit. I enjoyed every meter of this time trial. The fact that I won in the end is just insane. I am super happy," rejoiced the Soudal Quick-Step leader.

In the final section of the time trial, things seemed to go wrong for a moment. Evenepoel appeared to be struggling with his chain, but according to the rider himself, it was something else. "I thought I had a flat tire. It sounded like it. After a few hundred meters, however, nothing was wrong. Still, I was a bit scared because it could have been a slow puncture. I didn't take the last corners with much confidence. I still had to take risks, though, because Tadej was on my heels. In the end, a difference of twelve seconds is great. Tadej can also win very tough time trials. Overall, I just wanted to win here. Mission accomplished. I am very proud."

Evenepoel also made a good move in the general classification. He gained time on Pogacar and even more time on Roglic and Vingegaard. "We were not so much focused on the time gaps in the general classification," said Evenepoel. "We mainly wanted to win a stage, and that has now been achieved. In short, it's a great day for the team and for myself. Now I will focus on Saturday (hill stage, ed.) and Sunday (gravel stage, ed.)." Evenepoel certainly isn't thinking about a fight against Pogacar for the overall victory. "He is quite out of reach. Even in a time trial like today, you see how incredibly good he is. But we will see. You never know with racing. The further into the race we get and the better I feel, I will focus more on the podium. I have the legs for it."

At the post-race press conference, where IDLProCycling.com was also present, we still saw a very happy Evenepoel. Understandable, after another more than decent time trial. The equipment problem that turned out not to be a problem was, of course, also discussed. "Honestly, I thought I was going to lose the time trial there. It was a nasty sound, it really sounded exactly like a flat tire. I thought: this is it for me. Two hundred meters later, I wasn't riding on the rim, and I realized it was nothing. Maybe it was just someone dropping a glass or something. It was a moment of distraction that normally never happens to me. I was clearly a bit in shock. It took me out of my rhythm a bit and maybe cost me three to four seconds. No more."

Evenepoel also shed some light on the much-discussed gravel stage on Sunday. "It will be a tough stage. Anything but easy. It's also in a region where it's never flat, always up and down. The first stages of Paris-Nice are often held there. And they are often tough. I don't think you can win the Tour there, but you can lose it, probably due to bad luck or something unfortunate. It could be over in a moment if luck is against you. The gravel sections themselves are not that dangerous. Compared to Strade Bianche, it's not too bad. Staying well-positioned will be the key, especially since we will already have some fatigue in our legs after eight days of racing. It will be a beautiful stage, but I don't expect differences between the general classification contenders."