The descent off the Col du Galibier exposed Remco Evenepoel’s Achilles heel at the Tour de France, but the Belgian showed his fighting spirit by closing the gap to the chase group behind an untouchable Tadej Pogačar and then winning the sprint for second place on stage 4.
“It’s always good when you finish second behind the best rider in the world,” Evenepoel said after again pulling on the white best young rider’s jersey in Valloire.
"Tadej's attack at 2,600 metres was very strong. I tried to stay with him but that was still a bit too much above my level. If you reach the finish alone, you are the best of the day, but this is great for my confidence."
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If Jonas Vingegaard eventually cracks or falters while trying to race against Pogačar, then Evenepoel could emerge his biggest rivals.
The Belgian took eight bonus seconds for finishing second and a further two seconds at the summit of the Galibier to move past Vingegaard into second overall, 45 seconds down on Pogačar. Evenepoel definitely appears to be a podium contender early in the race and he will surely gain time on his rivals in Friday’s 25.3km time trial.
"A top five finish remains the plan but the closer we get to the podium, the more we have to go for it. I'm chasing a stage win and then we can look at the classification,” Evenepoel said.
Evenepoel had Mikel Landa with him for much of the Galibier, and Soudal-Quick Step appear to have stepped up as Grand Tour team. He looked composed and in control on the climb of the Galibier and the biggest problem appears to be descending.
"I tried to go as fast as possible in the final part of the Galibier because I knew there were bonuses at the top. Then I went down full speed, but that icy water was a bit scary,” he admitted.
Evenepoel was referring to several points during the first part of the descent when melted snow sparked running water across the road. Even Pogačar was cautious there but Evenepoel was especially so.
He started the descent in third place but was passed by Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers), Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates). He even lost their wheels and had to fight to get back on during the final part of the 18km descent.
“It was fast, technical and a bit scary. The asphalt reminded me of the Basque Country, a bumpy road surface. I didn't feel 100% comfortable,” he admitted, referring to the terrible crash at the Itzulia Basque Country race that saw him, Vingegaard, Roglič and others crash at speed.
“I slipped a few times and that's not great for confidence. I made some mistakes and some guys were able to come back,” he said. “Hopefully it won't go downhill from here, I can feel myself getting better. Now I'm already focusing on Friday's time trial.”
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