Evenepoel passes first test in red: "The goal was not to lose time and if there was an opportunity to take time"

Remco Evenepoel had his second day in the lead of the Vuelta a Espana this afternoon, but the first where his red jersey was at stake. The Belgian however rode a controlled stage and arrived at the finish without ever being put under pressure.

“I think I said that the goal was not to lose time and if there was an opportunity to take time. I took time on many guys, except for the most important, Primož and Enric," Evenepoel said in a post-race interview. “It was good to see Primož really strong today, it's nice to see him like that. It's good for the race," he said of his rival, despite the seemingly inevitable clash on the coming mountain days when it comes to the fight for the overall classification.

“My team was great, we controlled from the start and it wasn't easy! A big congratulations to all my teammates, because they pushed me to this result," Evenepoel said. Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team had to control an early break which included some dangerous figures for the overall classification, but has done so without ever exposing Evenepoel to his rivals. It was all to play for in the final climb, where his calm and composed figure was a frequent sight up the tough ascent to Colláu Fancuaya.

"In my radio they tried to explain the situation to me a little bit, but I think they were a bit behind. At one point they told me there were fourteen of us, but we were only four or five. I didn't really know what the situation was. In the last kilometer I saw that we were only with Primož, Enric and Carlos Rodríguez, so a perfect day," the Belgian described. Over the last kilometers he took over the pace in the GC group and grinded away until only Enric Mas and Primoz Roglic could sustain it - who have kept up with him until the finish.

Now, they sit 28 seconds and 1:01 minutes behind respectively. “I'm really happy with how I felt today. I hope I can recover well, because tomorrow I need fresh legs again. What I've seen in the past is that there weren't really big holes, but if you explode on such a climb, it's all done".

Tomorrow will be another important day with the steep final ascent to Les Praeres, where Evenepoel is looking to keep his lead. "I keep the confidence. I know it's a climb that suits me very well in terms of duration, so I'm just going to give it my all. My team is very strong. We are going to try to keep the jersey and why not go for a stage win, that would be very nice," he concluded.