Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) placed second in the Tour of Lombardy, the last Monument of the cycling season, behind the inaccessible Tadej Pogacar. Victim of a terrible fall in Lombardy in 2020, the Olympic champion did not hide his emotions after the race.
As in 2020, the race started from Bergamo and arrived in Como. “I think everyone knows what happened the last time I raced here from Bergamo to Como,” Evenepoel said. “This time, being the best of the rest feels like a personal victory. This makes me really proud. »
Pogacar isolated himself in the lead on the Colma di Sormano, 48 km from the finish. Evenepoel found himself with Lennert Van Eetvelt and Enric Mas, whom he then dropped on the descent. “We knew well where Tadej was going to attack. The three kilometers after the bridge where I fell (in 2020, editor’s note) are the hardest of the climb. And he went to that place. I chose to keep my own pace, all the way to the top. I knew the descent quite well, I went all the way down and let go of the others. And afterward, it was a sort of time trial until the finish. In the last kilometers, I was a little at the limit, on the San Fermo, but the gap was made. »
Evenepoel also had compliments for Pogacar. “It was man against man, and I think everyone once again saw who the best runner is at the moment. He deserves victory. » The Olympic champion also sees good prospects for himself. “I wasn’t lucky today because there was a phenomenon in front of me, but that gives me confidence to try to come here with better form and try to go for the victory. »
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