TOUR DE FRANCE | 01/07/2024 | 11:54
by Francesca Monzone
Remco Evenepoel can be satisfied, at the end of the second stage he climbed on the stage of the Tour de France for the first time to wear the white jersey of best young rider. And who knows, maybe it will soon change color and take on yellow tones: the new race leader Tadej Pogacar has made it clear that he wants to leave, only for the moment of course, the symbol of the Grande Boucle to Remco. The young Belgian is currently in second place in the general classification, but with the same time as Pogacar and Vingegaard, who is third and yesterday we saw him immediately respond to the Slovenian’s attacks. “Have I already thought about the yellow jersey? Everyone here talks about it, so yes, I have thought about it,” Evenepoel said yesterday regarding the possibility of wearing the leader’s jersey today. “But if I take the yellow jersey now, it means that on Tuesday we would have to control the Galibier. This would give us more work to do and it would not be a great advantage for us now. So I think it would be better not to have it and stay like this.” Today’s stage is dedicated to sprinters, but Remco could easily take the lead in the general classification, given that Pogacar would be so happy to give it up.
«Being the leader of the general classification in the first week is not very useful. I would like to wear yellow, but if not, I will gladly stay with the white one: being the leader in the first week is not very useful.». Very clear message.
Moreover, yesterday after the arrival in Bologna there was an exchange of words between Pogacar and Evenepoel and the Slovenian hoped that the yellow jersey had gone to his young rival. «Pogacar asked me if I had taken the yellow jerseybut I replied that I had taken the white one” Remco himself explained.
Yesterday was characterized by the victory of the Frenchman Vaquelin and by the attack of Pogacar in the last passage on the San Luca, to which only Vingegaard responded. Evenepoel had remained behind and in the final he was forced to chase to reduce the gap with the Slovenian and the Dane.
“I had to use a lot of energy to close the gap and I had to take a breath to give my legs some oxygen. Because of all the people on the road it was also difficult to pass. But in the end I was very close and I can say that my legs are there, in hindsight maybe I should have followed them straight away.”
Evenepoel in his first Tour is doing a great job in terms of the classification and behind him there are other men in the classification who have not yet shown themselves. Among these Primoz Roglic, who has not responded to Pogacar’s call. «He seemed a bit uncertain, we were all waiting for his answer, especially on that climb in Emilia where he was the favourite. Maybe the start of the Tour is difficult for him too because of the heat, but Roglic is not our problem and we are only thinking about our Tour.”
A Tour that continues with the third stage, recently started, from Piacenza to Turin.
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