100 kilometers from Superbagneres, number 21 moves to the right, takes his foot off the pedal, takes the computer out of his Specialized and goes up to the flagship. That number 21 was on the back of Remco Evenepoel, who at that point was still third in the general classification, owner of the white jersey... and an athlete who still had a lot to say. Perhaps.
Perhaps, because in the last few days the Olympic champion has experienced some very simple moments, up until the defeat of overtaking by Vingegaard in the Peyragudes time trial. But it was there.
What happened
It would be interesting to know in detail what Remco has experienced in the last 72 hours. The coach Koen Pelgrim He talked about problems at high intensities. Essentially, the Flemish coach said, in this Tour de France Evenepoel has paid the price for the accident that involved him last autumn. In fact, he was unable to build a solid foundation and for this reason his performances were inconsistent.
According to Pelgrim, Evenepoel had already experienced similar problems after the Dauphiné, only he wasn't competing then. «After working to recover his condition and after the important efforts of the Dauphiné Pelgrim told Sporza. "Remco struggled to perform when he had to push hard. This was due to a less than solid foundation. It was a constant readjustment."
And this theory might even be true. Even Pogačar, when he broke his wrist three years ago, collapsed after two weeks of the Tour. It almost seems like you can hold out for a whole week, but then you pay the price. Evidently it is not possible to guarantee consistency at high revs, it recovers less.
On the other hand, it must be said that Remco had gotten back in the saddle at the end of January and had theoretically had time to build the base. Tadej, in that case, was forced to stop (much less) between April and May. Therefore There is undoubtedly a mental component as well. And here the discussion begins…
Remco's blackouts
Il angry gesture towards the cameras that they go looking for him while he is passing on the very first ramps of the Tourmalet are a sign of nervousness. Although then, in fairness, it must be said that a few moments later he gave the water bottle to a child. However This isn't the first time Remco has gone into blackout. And it collapses.
Tour of Italy 2023: he's wearing the pink jersey, the time trial doesn't go as expected and he suddenly retires late in the evening. He didn't even give the managers of the Soudal-Quick Step to plan the news. The withdrawal was due to Covid. Legitimate, sure, but it would have been better handled differently. You're Remco Evenepoel, you're wearing the pink jersey, you've just won the time trial, though not by the margin you'd expected, and the next day is a rest day. Nothing: off you go, out of Italy like a bolt of lightning.
Return of the same year. Remco was well placed in the general classification. He was also the leader, won a stage, and finished second in the time trial behind Ganna. At the first difficulty, he collapsed, once again on the Tourmalet. Perhaps this mountain had a special charm for him. Then he triggered a series of sensational ups and downs in the rest of the Spanish race.
To persist or to give up?
That time he didn't withdraw, in fact the next day he won with one of his feats. The problem was that at the first crisis he didn't hold on, but let himself go, taking almost half an hour. And a few days later he won again.
Giuseppe Martinelli that time (reread here that article because it became extremely topical again yesterday) spoke of a mental crisis and attributed part of the responsibility to the team as well.
«In a big Giro, a bad day can happen, but It's one thing to lose 5-6 minutes, it's another to collapse by half an hour"We fight. We hold on to the standings and then we evaluate things that evening or in the following days": this more or less is the meaning of his words.
What unsettled Martinelli was his victory in the next day's stage in Larra-Belagua. In his opinion, the team should have supported him less and made him push harder. Evenepoel was more inexperienced. Of course, things have changed since then and the athlete has matured, but the result and the manner of his retirement remain very similar. Yesterday, it was sporting director Klaas Lodewyck who advised him to end it there.
The words of the protagonist
The Belgian press, or a large part of it, took his side and aligned itself with Pelgrim's thesis, which is in any case more than legitimate. The fact is that it's sad to see a champion like him retire.
Also because, especially in the absence of clear, not to say official, reasons, suppositions explode. "He did it because he's now preparing for the Vuelta." "He quit because he'll be changing teams anyway." Or even we've already read that his probable new team, the Red Bull-Bora, he might not want it anymore and aim for Florian Lipowitz. That same one Lipowitz who, ironically, took his white jersey and third place. An incredible and perhaps even inappropriate carom.
Remco spoke at the end of the stage. It was a gesture that was absolutely appreciated, especially since he appeared devastated. Before stopping, he even cried. "Having a bad day," he said, "is possible. But Three bad days in a row is not something I usually experience, so stopping was the best option. Actually, it was Lodewyck who told me to stop. I have no idea what happened." And this is the part that leaves Remco the most disheartened.
Evenepoel also spoke about the difficulties after the Dauphiné, of a latent tiredness and added: «I can't say anything about my retirement yet because I don't know anything. We'll investigate and see what happened. Everyone knows I've had a pretty bad winter. But we'll evaluate. Maybe there's something wrong with my body. I know that at a certain point nothing worked anymore. Maybe I could have persisted, but then it would have been worse and I wouldn't have returned to racing, not even in September."
