Remco Evenepoel plays waiting game after Vingegaard blow in Catalonia and insists there is 'no reason to panic'

The decisive moment came around six kilometres from the finish when Jonas Vingegaard accelerated into a crosswind section. Evenepoel could not follow, while teammate Florian Lipowitz held position closer to the front. From that point, the Belgian’s race changed.

“Lipo was ahead, so it wasn’t up to me to close the gap,” Evenepoel said to Sporza. “In our group there wasn’t much cooperation, guys were attacking each other. Maybe otherwise we could have come back, but for us it was fine. We had two riders in the race.”

It meant resisting the instinct to chase. Instead, he settled into a more patient role, something rarely required of him in stage races.

“I did what I had to do: wait, wait, wait. In the last two kilometres I pulled a bit and then went for the sprint. That was still ok.”

Riding with another protected leader also shifted the internal balance within Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe. “It’s a different feeling to have another strong climber with you. You can split the work. I could wait behind, and he didn’t have to ride in front,” Evenepoel said.

There was no attempt to downplay the quality of Vingegaard’s move by the 26-year-old Belgian. “His attack was very hard, especially with the crosswind. That made it even more difficult to follow.”

Evenepoel admitted the sensation was not at its absolute best, though he placed that in context. The crash from earlier in the week is still affecting him, but he avoided using it as an excuse. “The feeling wasn’t super, but I’ve felt worse two days after a crash,” he said. “My neck and back were still a bit stiff, and my hand is not fully closed yet. It’s annoying, but it doesn’t stop me from racing hard.”

With the general classification now more complicated, sixth in the GC 1:38 minutes behind  Vingegaard, Evenepoel is already looking ahead to stages that may offer different opportunities. “Tomorrow is a completely different stage, with shorter climbs,” he said. “It will be more like a mini classic, with a lot of attacks. There will be opportunities.”

For now, there’s little concern according to Evenepoel. “The feeling is already better than a month ago, so there is no reason to panic. I just want to keep building step by step.”