Johan Bruyneel charges Quick-Step after Remco's failed breakaway: "You have to control the rider and only let him out of the cage when it matters"

Johan Bruyneel commented on Lance Armstrong's 'The Move' podcast about the final stage of the Vuelta a España in which Remco Evenepoel, for the second day in a row after his Tourmalet day collapse, tried to get the win by escaping. Although he managed to win on Saturday, on Sunday on the way to Lekunberri he spent too much energy and could only finish fourth.

Read also

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 16 - Sepp Kuss has lead tested in another tough summit finish

The former US Postal sport director did not understand that for the second consecutive day the Soudal Quick-Step rider escaped:

"It was a good idea to break away on Saturday, when the climbs were hard and he knew he could leave anyone to go with him, but today (yesterday) I think it wasn't a good idea because the stage was much less hard, not easier, but less hard, and you have to think that after the effort of the day before he had to feel the fatigue, he's not a robot, he's not Superman, so for me he thought he could do the same, but cycling at this level doesn't work like that, not even if your name is Remco Evenepoel, so I think it was a mistake to get in the breakaway."

Read also

Geraint Thomas hits the deck again in Sunday's stage but hopes to turn tables in third week: "I'm still here though"

He explains the reason why it was a mistake for him for Remco to get back into the leak: "It was clear that there were going to be other riders of great quality that I wasn't going to be able to leave on the last climb, with gradients of five and six percent."

"Plus the accumulated fatigue, knowing that you have to do most of the work in the breakaway, there weren't one or two riders with him, there were seven or eight with him, and if you look at riders like Rui Costa or Lennard Kämna, those kind of riders are in a breakaway to win, they're not in it to be, I think it wasn't a smart move.

Read also

Juan Ayuso wants to crack through Jumbo-Visma's perfect race in the third week: "I have not yet seen Jumbo-Visma in any problems"

Discusses the importance of the team in decision making: "I don't want to say that he was erring on the side of naivety, but I don't know if he's the one making the decisions to do one thing or another, that it's something that's not going to work every day."

"So for me it's important to know the advice he's getting from the staff from the car during the race is good. With the big riders the big role of the directeur sportif is to think about the team and the next stages and try to keep the rider in check and only let him out of his cage when it matters and I think that's not the case with Soudal Quick-Step and Remco."

Read also

"I told him: we can't let you go in the breakaway every day" - Sepp Kuss shares joke with Remco Evenepoel at La Vuelta

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