"He was going so fast that sitting on his wheel was like riding into a headwind" - Romain Bardet praises Remco Evenepoel's skills

Remco Evenepoel isn’t nicknamed 'the aero bullet' for nothing. From the world championship road race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège through Saturday’s 14th stage of this Vuelta a España, Evenepoel has ruined rivals from all corners of the peloton with his extra-aero long-range raids.

"He was going so fast that sitting on his wheel was like riding into a headwind," Romain Bardet said Saturday. The Frenchman had just endured some 90km of being put through the Remco-wringer before he was dropped, a cramped-out, crosseyed wreck. "When he was on the descents he was so aero that I was having to pedal to stay with him. It was the same on the flats," Bardet said. "It was crazy. Every time I came out of a corner, I had to sprint just to stay with him."

"He’s really, really efficient on the bike, so his aero position and his power output can be combined," Soudal Quick-Step coach Vasilis Anastopoulos told Velo. "I’ve never seen a rider that’s both as efficient and aero as Remco," he continued. "That explains a lot of his performances, especially the long solo attacks – he spends a lot less energy than the guys chasing him."

"Now that we’ve all got super fast bikes, he’s the only guy left in the peloton who’s so aero that when he’s ahead of me on a descent I’ve got no choice but to follow on his wheel," Bardet said. "It’s now that I understand how he can do these solo attacks 100 km from the finish. It’s amazing."