‘I had to attack twice’: Evenepoel frustrated as crowds disrupt Alpe d’Huez move

Speaking to the media in the mixed zone after descending from the summit, Evenepoel offered a pragmatic assessment of the stage in quotes collected by WielerFlits.

The Belgian strengthened his hold on a place on the general classification podium with an impressive performance on one of cycling’s most famous climbs. Reflecting on a day shaped by explosive racing and crowded roadsides, he said Pogačar’s decisive attack had come as little surprise.

"Well, it was to think that Tadej would perform a crazy number to try to win today," Evenepoel said, addressing the media with a mixture of exhaustion and satisfaction. "It was today and tomorrow, the biggest chance that he really wanted to go all-in today. We have also seen that, and it is nice that he can finish it."

While Pogačar rode clear at the front, Evenepoel concentrated on managing his own effort on the 13.8 km climb.

"With myself, everything was in order," he noted. "I had the feeling that Tadej was going too fast anyway, so it was a mission impossible to follow. And then I just followed the tempo with Decathlon. I was right at ease. It was not very fast, so I decided to go all-in five from the top."

That late acceleration, however, was disrupted by the crowds lining the road, turning his move into a stop-start effort.

"The attack had to happen twice," Evenepoel explained. "I was blocked by the fans and the motorcycles. It's a shame that I can't finish the attack in one go, because that would have given a different result. But of course it was to be expected that it would get crowded with all the people. It's a shame that it happened to me."

Despite the disruption, Evenepoel still managed to gain time on his closest rivals in the battle for a podium place.

"In the end I have to be satisfied," he said. "I took 10 seconds and I think I just showed that I was better than the rest for the podium. So yes, it was a good day."

With one gruelling mountain stage remaining before the Tour reaches Paris, Remco Evenepoel holds a 2:31 advantage over Isaac del Toro of UAE Team Emirates-XRG in the battle for second place overall.

“One more day at full gas,” Evenepoel said. “We have a good advantage, so now it is about staying focused, avoiding unnecessary risks and seeing it through.”

Asked whether his position on the podium could still come under threat, Evenepoel acknowledged that nothing is guaranteed but remained confident in both his form and the strength of his team.

“Anything can happen, but the feeling is good. The legs are good and the team is strong,” he said. “We were one of the few teams that still had several riders left at the decisive moments.”