“I had to explain to Vingegaard ten times" - Remco Evenepoel left frustrated by lack of freedom given by Jumbo-Visma

Remco Evenepoel's Red Jersey challenge at the Vuelta a Espana came to a dramatic conclusion on stage 13. Jumbo-Visma however, seem to need a bit of convincing about that.

“They were countering me all the time, because they are afraid that I will regain time. I had to explain to Jonas Vingegaard ten times that I no longer wanted to go for the classification,” Evenepoel, who has made the break on both of the subsequent stages told HLN post-stage 15. "They didn't believe me, but luckily they did in the end.”

Although Evenepoel bounced back from the disappointment of falling out of GC contention with victory on stage 14, the Belgian wasn't as successful on stage 15, Rui Costa emerging victorious. “The goal was to go for the stage and pick up some mountain points along the way, but I felt that my legs were still full from yesterday," he recaps. "I knew that if there were any accelerations on the last climb, it would be difficult for me. There were too many fresh men in the break who could make it difficult for me.”

"I still went quite deep, even though I was completely exhausted. Klaas Lodewyck shouted in my earpiece to keep going, because they were starting to gamble at the front. Unfortunately there were a few sledders in my group. But you can't want everything, I got the most out of it," he concludes. “On Tuesday I'm going to let myself sink completely. I want to waste a lot of time there and come in quietly. And then try to compete again in the two difficult stages afterwards.”

In situations and days like these, sports feels like a secondary matter. The most important thing is the safety of and help for the people that are suffering. My heart and thoughts are with the people of Morocco, a place that is very close to the heart of my wife and myself. 🇲🇦❤️ pic.twitter.com/7WvR7jck36

— Remco Evenepoel (@EvenepoelRemco) September 10, 2023