"It was a very hard stage" Evenepoel says, as he almost survived Itzulia raid to defend race lead

Remco Evenepoel jumped to the lead of Itzulia Basque Country yesterday as Primoz Roglic surprisingly struggled to keep up with the pace of the best. The young Belgian had a daunting task today to keep the lead, which eventually proved unsuccessful. However, his performance was nevertheless strong as he put on a fierce battle to keep the yellow jersey.

“It was a very hard stage. I didn’t have a bad day, I gave my best the entire stage, but I just missed a bit to be up there with the best guys and fight for the GC victory. It was difficult, especially on the steep parts of the climbs, but I kept fighting and kept believing in myself," Evenepoel said after the stage. After having been dropped in the first climb of the Santuario de Arrate, it looked like game over for Evenepoel as he was distanced from the GC group. However, with a very fast descent, having caught up with Daniel Martínez, the duo worked together to get themselves back in contention.

Even then Evenepoel didn't race defensively, having attacked and also gone for bonifications before the final climb. In Arrate, he was distances again, but his loss was of only 24 seconds at the finish. With the small gaps it meant he fell out of the podium and into fourth place, however it was a promising performance.

"I came here wanting to test myself against the Grand Tour contenders and this result is something I can build on in the future. There is some disappointment, as I was so close to the podium, but also some satisfaction, because I’m getting closer to the level I want to be. Maybe in a couple of days I will see things differently, given how tough this race was and the quality of the field here," he concluded.