Pogacar bides his time as Evenepoel tunes up: ‘The numbers are for the coaches, he’ll be ready’

Ahead of the Brabantse Pijl, Remco Evenepoel kept his cards close to his chest but once the flag dropped his intentions were crystal clear. He came to race and to win. Even on the cobbles he gave his taped-up shoulder a proper test, followed by a few sharp accelerations on the gritty uphill finish in the heart of Overijse. Test after test and in the end simply the best.

(smiles) “It’s been worse, right?”

“It was the first time my dad’s best friend wasn’t there. He passed away about a month ago. His wife and son were here today, and it was tough to see them all crying for such a painful reason. That definitely gave me some extra motivation in the sprint.”

“Pretty surprised, yes. I would have been more confident if I had started it from the wheel. I know I don’t have a bad sprint after a hard race when everyone has spent time in the red.”

“But to beat Wout from the front? That’s something else. He’s a guy who wins mass sprints in Grand Tours and has taken plenty of reduced bunch sprints too. For me, that’s something new I can tick off the list, beating a fast guy like that. It gives me confidence, because it shows I don’t always need to arrive solo. It can work with two, or even in a small group.”

Did you have in mind that he hadn’t won his last sprints?
“Uuuhhh… a little. Mostly I felt like I was the strongest in the final lap. When I attacked on the Hertstraat, I had the impression he was just barely holding my wheel, right when Joe Blackmore dropped. And on the Moskesstraat he forced me to take the lead, maybe out of fear I would go. So yes, I had the feeling I was the stronger one there. That doesn’t take anything away from how strong he was, but I just had confidence. Starting the sprint from the front was a bit of a gamble, but with a tailwind that gives you a bit of extra belief heading into Sunday.”

You had some doubts beforehand about short explosive efforts, but that seems fine now?
“That went pretty well, actually. I suffered most on the Moskesstraat. I knew I had to push through there, and Wout went hard the first time. But I got a lot of answers today. My coaches get paid to read the numbers, so I’ll leave it to Koen (Pelgrim) and the rest to analyze everything.”

“The fact that I could ride the last two kilometers on the front and still win the sprint says enough. My final training sessions definitely gave me a boost.”

How’s the shoulder holding up?
“It felt good. It was taped up well and I didn’t feel anything on the cobbles. It was stable in the sprint too. The muscles aren’t working properly and that will continue to be a problem, but as long as tape keeps it under control… The hardest part was reaching into my back pockets.”

So in the end, was this the ideal race to start with ahead of Sunday?
“I think so. It was full gas with hardly any time to recover. I was able to open up the lungs and the legs, and that was something I really needed. Saturday I’ll stay tucked in and I hope to be well recovered by Sunday. Honestly, I felt like I could have gone for another hour, but there was no need.”