Tour de France: Remco Evenepoel still chasing yellow jersey as week two begins
With the first rest day behind him, Remco Evenepoel starts the second week of his first Tour de France on Tuesday. The Belgian's eyes remain on the yellow jersey as he trails Slovenian leader Tadej Pogacar by just 33 seconds.
Evenepoel was in top form last week, winning his first Tour de France stage. But the Belgian remains convinced that either Tadej Pogacar or Jonas Vingegaard will win this edition of the Tour de France, with the Slovenian the overwhelming favourite.
"Pogacar is ambitious and fresh. He will be hard to beat," Evenepoel said at a press conference on Monday. "I hope to compete as long as possible. We are aiming for the top five or the podium."
That doesn't mean that wearing the yellow jersey is out of the question for Evenepoel this year. The Belgian has been riding very well so far, wearing the white jersey for best young rider, just 33 seconds behind Pogacar. A well-timed attack could end with Evenepoel in yellow.
True start on Saturday
His best chance will come this weekend when the Tour enters the Pyrenees. On Saturday, the peloton will take on the legendary Col du Tourmalet. And with five climbs and over 200km of racing, Sunday's stage will be even tougher, guaranteeing a battle for the yellow jersey.
Evenepoel crashed in the Pyrenees during last year's Vuelta de España and lost his chance to win the Spanish grand tour. But he does not expect that to happen again.
"I have better legs than I did in the Vuelta," Evenepoel said on Monday. "We have confidence and we are ready for the battle. The Tour really starts on Saturday. We have to be ready."
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO POOL BERNARD PAPON
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