Vuelta: Remco Evenepoel critical of organisers after dominant victory

Remco Evenepoel won the third stage of the Vuelta de España on Monday. The Belgian rider held off Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard in an uphill sprint to become the new wearer of the red jersey as leader of the general classification.

However, Evenepoel did not make it through the stage unscathed. Just after the finish line he collided with a woman and crashed to the ground. Despite bleeding from his head and nose, the Belgian champion's injuries were not serious.

He blamed the organisers for the accident. "Such a beautiful victory, but unfortunately there was not enough space after the finish," he said after the race. "This is the third day in a row that something has happened. It's breaking my balls."

"This is the third day in a row that something has happened. It's breaking my balls"

Evenepoel was referring to the controversial opening weekend of this year's Vuelta. On Saturday, he criticised the scheduling of the team time trial, which resulted in poor visibility for some riders. On Sunday, he again expressed his anger at the organisation's failure to listen to riders about the dangerous rainy conditions.

Evenepoel is the new leader of the general classification, five seconds ahead of Spaniard Enric Mas. He will wear the red jersey on Tuesday when the peloton heads from Andorra la Vella to Tarragona.

^{© BELGA PHOTO JOSEP LAGO}