He walked Remco Evenepoel. A walk that was perhaps a bit demanding. But when he returned to San Sebastian for the second time, the final one, He had the impression of a "bicycle enthusiast" enjoying his ride along a beautiful seafront. With the blue sea, the sun, the beauty of the beach...
Instead he was a pro who was going to win the Clasica of San Sebastian for the second time in his career, A late-July event. A meeting point for Tour veterans and those heading back for the season finale. It usually results in a hard-fought and thrilling race. This time, thrilling, yes, but not as hard-fought.
Duel postponed
Not a hard-fought one, because in fact at the first attack, which in the end wasn't even a attack, at the first push Remco Evenepoel created a gap. There were exactly 44,5 kilometers left to the finish. Only Simon yates he tried to hunt him down for a while. Then, after 5 minutes, he too raised the white flag.
The long-awaited duel with pogacar, really exhausted after the Tour, is therefore postponed. The Slovenian fell behind just a few minutes before the former footballer began his show. On his time trial.
Because he actually then undertook a time trial. And indeed, certain qualities and the excellent work done at altitude in Livigno were evident.
Time trialist and climber
Let's try to get to the root of this success. Let's analyze Evenepoel's play and, first, his "new" personality.
Remco was on retreat with his Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl, or rather, partly with the team in Livigno. In reality, he was in Trepalle, about 500 meters higher than his teammates. So at about 2.300 meters and remained there for over 20 days.
He often trained alone and sometimes joined the group led by the coach-trainer Vasilis Anastopoulos, with whom we had spoken, among other things.
On the eve of Saint Sabestian, Remco was truly serene. He'd been pedaling for an hour and a half. He'd gone to revisit the Jaizkibel and the Erlaitz (where he attacked), but above all, his descent.
«I am a more complete athlete than the one who won here three years ago – he told RTBF, a Belgian broadcaster on the eve – Now I am stronger, also physically because my body has completed its development. (he was 19 at the time, ed.).
«I think I'm also more complete in everything: I see the race better, I'm more intelligent in the race, I've grown as a man... And I'm also two kilos leaner".
And then he adds, sibylline: «But the weight depends on the objectives». Which means that he has set his sights on the ReturnBut that's another chapter.
Successful strategy
In light of this calm, this confidence, Remco put his team in control of the race from the very beginning. We ran for him without ifs or buts. Especially since Alaphilippe He was at home with Covid. Even being the sole leader gave him peace of mind! Maybe for others it would be a burden...
Not for him who handled everything with lucidity.
«I took a few days off and in the last week I had only done ten hours of training precisely because today I wanted to be fresh – said Evenepoel after the finish – And in fact I think what made the difference today was freshness.
"I felt good and decided to pick up the pace on the Jaizkibel with the team. It was a plan we'd worked out in advance. It went well. Then it was a long and difficult finish."
Three technical ideas
That it was a long one is certain. We have some doubts about the difficult one! Let's stick to the analysis of this success. Three things struck us about Remco: its agility, its position, and its approach to descents.
Agility yes, but also relationship: in a word, strength. Remco was milling, but he was also pushing. And the proof was in his opponents, some standing, some trying to hold him back with "impossible" ratios. That's strength... expressed nimbly: let's put it that way.
By the way, he probably stood up on the pedals 3-4 times in 44 kilometers. Pure chronoman.
And from here we come to the second point: the position. Remco looked longer, his elbows more extended. It was as if, thanks to his weight loss, he'd lengthened his stem by a centimeter—usually that's all one goes to during the season. The result: an aerodynamic, stable, composed, and even aesthetically pleasing position.
According to the data, since he set off he has averaged about 2 km/h more than his immediate pursuers.
The descent: As we know, this isn't Evenepoel's strong point, but it must be said that he's improved. In the glide following the attack, he was good. He pushed, even gained a little on the first pursuers, but it certainly wasn't a technical glide.
In the second descent however, which was much more technical, thanks to the 2'30” advantage (maybe even more) With five kilometers to go, he went down really slowly and in control. So he didn't risk anything. Who knows if he wanted to attack so early because he feared this descent? In any case, he handled this aspect with maturity.
