What if he did it on purpose to compete in a sprint? Did you think Evenepoel had… the face of someone on the hook uphill? Time passes after the arrival and the words of Remco and his face in full control on the Murgil Tontorra, the last asperity, arouses suspicion.
The Belgian joins Marino Lejarreta at three points in the roll of honour of the Classica San Sebastián and wins in the sprint. A short attack in 2019, the first time. A long solitary escape for the second victory last year. Long-distance attack and two-man sprint in this July 29, 2023 that announces the Glasgow World Cup.
«This victory it's good for the mind and motivation for the second part of the season – the world champion confirmed immediately afterwards – and obviously also for the World Cup next week».
Remco's gamble
He spoke yesterday. He immediately took his statements. a specialized site, as heard in the live broadcast, and this morning the Gazzetta dello Sport. A few words, but clear: he wanted to win and he didOnly this time, he preferred to wait.
Little desire to take risks or the curiosity of a champion? He wanted to sprint against a huge bilbao hair, to test yourself in view of a World Cup that could propose an identical situation? As Bennati says, to know if you are fast, you have to do sprints.
The legs are there
We don't think Remco ever doubted his legs.In a meeting during the Tour, Giampaolo Mondini, who acts as liaison between Specialized and the team, said he had seen some of the Belgian's training files. And the data was anything but a source of doubt..
«It was a special race – says Evenepoel – I had no intention of attacking the Erlaitz so soon (there were 73 kilometers to go, ed.), but my teammates were already behind, so I decided to set off to see who was following me. We formed a perfect group and the collaboration was good.On the last climb I kept a hard pace that I knew I could maintain until the top."
Biased audience
Pello even passed him, while Vlasov gave way. He looked at him, while the audience around him was all for him, then the Belgian got back in front with a pace that didn't seem particularly aggressive, nor did his grimace (without glasses) suggest a maximum effort.
“I saw that Pello was still lurking,” he says, “and I know he’s one of the fastest climbers in the group. I was surprised by my sprintI like this race and the fans here, even though today they cheered a little more for Pello than for me (laughs, ed.). I have to say that I understand them and that he was very strong. It was really nice to run together in the final».
Pello's Pride
The Basque tells in a low voice, aware of having come one step away from my childhood dream, but also having to be happy with second place against this very strong blond boy.
«The race started a long time ago – smiles Pello with a hint of regret – We know Remco likes to move early and I was ready to follow himWhen our little group was formed, I thought it was right to collaborate, because he was also giving his all. I tried to change the pace a bit on the last steep climb and we found ourselves alone, but he had more energy in his legs, he was fresher than me. I noticed it when he gave me the last changes, that's why I wasn't able to beat him in the sprint. In any case, I'm proud of the work I've done over the past few weeks. It's been a super intense and fantastic experience."
