Remco Evenepoel says 'boring' Catalunya stage was tougher than it looked

Appearances can be deceptive, however. While there were no obvious frissons among the general classification contenders, Evenepoel outlined that the battle for positions throughout the day had been exacting all the same.

“It was quite a tough day; the breakaway was strong and there was also some hectic activity in the peloton,” Evenepoel said, according to Het Nieuwsblad. “So it might have looked a bit boring, but it didn’t feel that way.” 

The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider lies third overall after two stages, four seconds behind race leader Dorian Godon (Ineos) and six ahead of chief rival Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) thanks to the time bonus he picked up for second place on Monday.

Before stage 2 got under way, Evenepoel could joke about his near miss against Godon the previous afternoon. “I watched the photo finish a few times afterwards to make sure it was correct,” he joked.

The Volta a Catalunya’s key stages will come later in the week, starting with Thursday’s summit finish at Vallter, but Evenepoel warned that Wednesday’s run to Vila-Seca is not to be underestimated. Stage 3 features the category 1 climb of the Alt de la Mussara in the opening kilometres, followed immediately by the Colla de Capafons. 

“Tomorrow there is a very tougher start and a slightly easier finish. The start will be tough enough and might provide some spectacle,” Evenepoel told Sporza, though he is aware that the true tests will arrive when he goes head-to-head with Vingegaard, Tom Pidcock and João Almeida at Vallter and La Molina on the two following stages. “From Thursday onwards, it’s full throttle.”

Evenepoel is joined at the Volta a Catalunya by Florian Lipowitz, who will share leadership of Red Bull with him at the Tour de France in July. Lipowitz was among those caught behind when the peloton was split by a crash in the finale on Tuesday, but the German safely chased back on to finish in the bunch. He lies 29th overall, 10 seconds down on Godon.