"He will carry that scar until he finds a solution" - José de Cauwer worries over Remco Evenepoel's Grand Tour aspirations after Col d'Aubisque crack

Remco Evenepoel soared to victory this Saturday in Belagua at the Vuelta a Espana, that has relieved the disaster that had been the previous day, but José de Cauwer worries that his future Grand Tours will always be seen through the lens of a rider who can crack at any minute.

"It is very difficult to explain this. He goes from hell to heaven, although I don't know what it's like there," de Cauwer told Sporza. "This is extreme and this will stick. You can say that they didn't attack behind him, but he was the best of the leading group. And he achieved that escape himself with his aggressiveness. Phenomenal."

A great result, however the Belgian analyst focuses on what happened the day before, where without a simple explanation, Evenepoel found himself without legs, and on a brutal day in the mountains he shed too many minutes to dream of returning to the GC contention. It was a very tough blow with no apparent reason, which also makes it hard to work on.

"You have to take into account that the deep trough of Friday has not gone away. Some of it has been erased, but what was the cause? What happened on Friday? That's the biggest problem. The victory is fantastic and makes up for a lot, also for the team. But a solution must be found for what happened on Friday. If one ever finds that explanation," he argues.

What will happen until the end of the Vuelta is an unknown however the Belgian cited possible fatigue, as part of a long build-up to the Vuelta which included victories at the Clásica San Sebastian and time-trial World Championships.

"Yes, but he will carry that scar until he finds a solution or someone does it for him. Was it stress? That's difficult to measure. When does someone's spring break? He takes on a lot and wants to arrange a lot himself," de Cauwer concludes. "He carries it all with him and you can't predict when someone will break. It seems that way, because physically there is clearly no man overboard."