Remco Evenepoel isn’t worried about lost time: "I wasn’t going to sprint anyway"

Remco Evenepoel is perhaps the clear favorite to win the UAE Tour, but after just one stage, the Belgian already has to make up time on his (on paper) strongest rival, Isaac Del Toro. The Mexican won the opening stage and gained ten bonus seconds, but this is no cause for concern for Evenepoel.

"We did what we had to do," he said after the finish to the VTM camera. "We tried to bring Finn (Fisher-Black, ed.) forward in the final straight, but I think he was just behind that crash that happened right behind me. That’s a bit unfortunate. I just had to fight to avoid losing time."

While Evenepoel didn’t make an impression in the sprint finish, rival Del Toro sprinted impressively to his first victory of the season and important bonus seconds. However, the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe leader hardly noticed this. "I didn’t see Del Toro launch his sprint."

"I was a bit on the wrong side and therefore always in the wind. I was behind the heavier sprinters who were starting to fade. I always had to pass them into the wind. That was tough to stay with them, but in the end, I did what I had to do. I wasn’t going to sprint today anyway, and I didn’t have the mentality to go for it."

About the time trial
How does Evenepoel view the time loss compared to Del Toro? "We know, it’s a game of bonus seconds here. The downside for him might be that he now has to wear a different jersey, but of course that also provides motivation. I’m only focused on my time trial and will try to make the best of it."

Also an important question: how much time does Evenepoel think he can gain in his specialty? "It’s twelve kilometers and completely flat. That should suit me, but I think nowadays everyone can ride fast. My first hope is to win, and second to take enough time to secure the leader’s jersey."