Soudal Quick-Step’s Belgian leaves the final Grand Tour of the season with the KOM jersey, most combative trophy and three stages.
Remco Evenepoel continued to write more history for Belgium and Soudal Quick-Step as he took to the podium twice in Madrid, after the final stage, which he made more exciting by ripping up the script. Victorious here one year ago, Evenepoel was one of the riders that lit up La Vuelta, racking up a victory in each of the race’s three weeks and confirming once again not just his potential, but also the extraordinary versatility he possesses.
On a stunning Specialized bike which was covered in polka dots to match his jersey, Remco showed his panache by going on the attack on the streets of Madrid, a move that took the peloton by surprise, and at the same time, showed there was a reason why he was named the Super Combative rider of the race. His exhilarating attack came with more than 35 kilometers to go, and was quickly joined by five other riders, who worked well together with the World ITT Champion, building a stunning 30-second lead on a circuit that shouldn’t have posed any problem to the sprinters.
.jpg)
Evenepoel was the engine of the group and did some incredibly long pulls that helped the group enter the final kilometer with a small margin over the bunch, despite the combined efforts of around eight teams. Just as the chasers looked to be closing the gap, Remco got out of the saddle one more time with 600 meters to go and with the last resources of energy he still had, produced another huge acceleration that turned into a powerful sprint which netted him eighth in Madrid.
It was a pleasure to ride the final stage on this beautiful bike from Specialized.
“Attacking today wasn’t really planned, but once I got a gap and saw the riders who came with me, I decided to go all in. I left everything out there, despite being aware that it was going to be difficult to win today, but I had a lot of fun and this is the most important thing”, said Remco, who will conclude the season as the rider with the most Grand Tour stages won this year – five.
“I am content after this race: I won three stages, the KOM jersey, the most combative trophy, and I gained a lot of valuable experience, which is always important. I learned how to race more defensively, how to deal with bad situations, and I think this will help me a lot towards the future. We can be proud with what we got out of this Vuelta, we have many beautiful memories”, added Remco after the podium ceremony, where he received the polka dot jersey and the Super Combative trophy.
“We came here with different ambitions, we performed well as a team, and even when we faced a very difficult moment, as was the Tourmalet stage, the guys showed a lot of professionalism and character, staying around Remco all the time. The same goes for the staff, who were committed from the first day and always remained focused. Overall, we can be happy with what we achieved in these three weeks”, explained Soudal Quick-Step sports director Klaas Lodewyck.
Photo credit: ©Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images
