At the end of the first week of racing on Spanish soil, things are looking very bleak for the uninvited contenders for the general classification. Remco Evenepoel.
The stages around the Basque Country should suit the young Belgian very well, with its steep inclines and bad weather waiting to catch up with the inexperienced. However, apart from a brief glimpse of the opposition from Primos Roglik in the uphill sprint to LaGuardia on day four, the Quick-Step leader Alpha Vinyl seemed comfortable with the landscape and his rivals.
Worryingly for those looking to dethrone Evenepoel, the next leg of the race, midweek, holds conditions more suited to his character.
Barring any incident, they will lose a lot of time immediately after the day off. 30 km time trial. He said it would be nice to win a podium in the red jersey, so he is very keen to fulfill that wish.
As for the other twelve days of racing, the consensus before the start was that long climbs to come meant pure climbers could re-enter. overall competition.
But seeing how EvenPoll works so far, that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon. That is later, when he gets tired of the pressures and responsibilities of the race leader, but he is very determined at this stage of the process.
More troubling to them was the fact that he had dismounted most of his rivals without knocking them out of their saddles.
The strength he shows in doing so is a sign that he feels a level above everyone else and doesn’t feel the need to make a big acceleration to clear everyone else.
A bout of abs is already taking its toll, so the hills on the midweek menu are less of a concern because they’re steep and long, the kind that sees just about everyone doing sit-ups.
There are no types of Alberto Contador who can do 10 or 15 minutes in dance To break the constant rhythm in the Vuelta peloton. Therefore, Remko Evenboel should be more comfortable in his high-tempo style.
He shouldn’t be affected by the change in temperature during the 900km drive to the Costa Blanca, as he acclimatized to the Spanish summer immediately before the race and trained on some steep climbs. At the national level. The latter has apparently worked, so there’s nothing to indicate that even the prospect of temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius will stop it.
Much has been written about Evenpoel’s ambition, ego and character, traits that somehow limited his ability as a racer. Those are precisely the pieces of a mental puzzle necessary to succeed, and now that he is in the red jersey, his confidence in what he can do and how he does it will be even greater.
Looking at their QuickStep team, they have the resources to maintain a certain level of control over the peloton in the coming stages. One of the concerns of the Vuelta is the wind, but as a team they have a lot of experience with the ranks. Also, Remko looks strong enough to take care of herself even if something desperate happens. It will definitely be good for Belgium.
For the defending champion Primož Roglič, things are very difficult. A brief moment of wit in the fourth step sees just that: briefly. Normally short steep climbs are his thing, but he suffers, so his back injury gives him more problems or his form isn’t where it should be.
The heat in the south of Spain will allow him to recover, but he is going to lose at least another 30 seconds in the time trial, and then he will be more than two minutes away and hope that the race leader collapses somewhere.
Movistar will be delighted to see Enrique Mas at the helm again. Although he will lose time against the clock on stage 10 and may drop to second overall, the signs are good for things to come in the high mountains.
I don’t see Jumbo-Wisma or Movistar making any big tactical moves in the immediate days to come – the massive steps can’t be handled and the Dutch team needs Roglik to recover.
This leaves Ineos Grenadiers and BikeExchange-Jaco thinking something in terms of long-distance racing moves. Of course, Simon Yates doesn’t shy away from an ambitious attack when he gets the chance.
Many Ineos Tactics leaders have self-selected Spanish champion Carlos Rodriguez as their best hope. However, this is his first Grand Tour, so the next step is unknown.
You can wait and see, which is great for Remco Evenboel and Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl.
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