Remco Evenepoel lives up to favorite status and takes control after UAE Tour time trial
Remco Evenepoel delivered the fastest time as expected in the individual time trial of the UAE Tour. The leader of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe finished ahead of reigning world champion Joshua Tarling and Rémi Cavagna, also making significant progress in the fight for the overall victory.
In three of the seven stages – although the wind could still bring surprises – the general classification of the UAE Tour will be shaped. Starting with the individual time trial on day two, covering around twelve kilometers. The route was a replica of last year’s time trial and perfectly suited for specialists capable of sustaining an incredible acceleration.
The course was flat, flatter, flattest on Al Hudayriyat Island, with hardly any corners or other tricky sections. Split times were recorded just before six kilometers. As the clear favorite, Remco Evenepoel was determined to deal his rivals a significant blow in the fight for the overall win and, as the icing on the cake, claim the stage victory.
Evenepoel sets blazing fast time early on
The reigning world time trial champion started unusually early: Evenepoel went fifth, ahead of the live broadcast. The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe leader lived up to his reputation as a time trial specialist by posting the fastest time. Averaging 56.1 kilometers per hour with a finishing time of 13:03, he was twelve seconds quicker than French time trial ace Rémi Cavagna.
In other words, Evenepoel was already in contention for the stage win with this time but still had to wait for the arrival of several other specialists. And the competitors could perhaps find hope in Evenepoel’s finishing time, since Joshua Tarling was quicker last year (12:55) on exactly the same course. However, the British rider could not repeat that performance and ended up six seconds behind his Belgian rival.
Wind proves an extra obstacle, Belgian deals a heavy blow
Evenepoel not only kept Tarling at bay but also thwarted other recognized time trial specialists from beating his top time. And as if the Belgian’s time wasn’t sharp enough already, the increasingly strong winds presented an additional challenge for the riders still to come. While the true time trialists never got close to Evenepoel, GC contenders such as Adam Yates and Felix Gall lost nearly or even more than a minute.
And Del Toro? The Mexican gave it his all to keep the gap to Evenepoel in check but was already trailing by half a minute at the first split. The UAE Emirates XRG leader, in short, took a big hit from Evenepoel, who not only won the stage but also made excellent gains in the battle for overall victory.
