The emotion was strong for Remco Evenepoel when finishing the 20th stage of the Vuelta. Leader of the general classification, the Belgian will officially win his first Grand Tour this Sunday in Madrid.
“I don’t know what’s going on in my head or in my body at this moment,” Evenepoel said after the stage. ” It’s incredible. All the reviews and bad comments I received after last year, I think I answered with my legs. I’ve worked so hard to come here in the best shape possible. Winning this Vuelta now is just amazing. It’s actually the first Grand Tour I’ve started in good health. »
The list of thanks was long for the 22-year-old runner. “I’m really happy to be the first to win a Grand Tour for Patrick [Lefevere] as a manager and for Belgium, for my country, for my teammates, for my parents, for my fiancée… I have been away from home for so many days, so many weeks, so many months. And it’s all thanks to them too. »
Evenepoel also confides that the stress was very present this morning when he woke up. “I didn’t sleep too much last night. You know what awaits you and it was a super difficult stage. I’m just super happy to have won La Vuelta. Today I answered with the legs. I didn’t think about winning the stage, I just wanted to win the general classification. I just had to follow, control and trust my power. In the end, the race was super hard but we raced really well. Yes, it’s the happiest day of my life. It’s been an incredible year. Win a Monument [Liège-Bastogne-Liège], winning San Sebastian again, winning two stages and the overall, and then getting married this winter… I think it’s the best year I can imagine and wish for. »
