Johan Bruyneel: "Evenepoel has this enormous adrenaline and hunger and therefore makes mistakes"

Johan Bruyneel has analyzed the battle that took place at the Volta a Catalunya. As Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic headlined a seven-day almost constant battle for the overall classification, it has been a very promising promise of spectacle for the Giro d'Italia.

"In that first stage, Evenepoel was far. He was in about tenth position and was still second. That was proof that Evenepoel is in great shape. I think he was a bit stronger than Roglic purely in terms of condition. But he just races very differently," Bruyneel said in his podcast The Move. "Remco is defeated by mister regularity and accuracy. He took the bonus where necessary; he is a master at it.”

The battle saw Evenepoel constantly on the attack throughout the week, including on some of the final two hilly stages. Roglic was more defensive, using his opening stage win to be in control on the lead of the race. The two were very balanced, each taking two stage wins.

"Roglic is more 'zen' than Remco. Evenepoel has this enormous adrenaline and hunger and therefore makes mistakes," the former pro argues. "And especially when you race against a rider like Roglic and make mistakes, he punishes them, and that's what happened in Catalunya."

He specifically refers to the summit finish to Lo Port where the World Champion blew up completely in sight of the line. The seconds he lost there could've been decisive for the overall classification, as the two finished the race separated by only 6 seconds - the exact gap on that summit finish.

“They are clearly two different characters. Remco is pure adrenaline. When he attacks and things don't go the way he wants, he's showing that he's not happy. I'm sure Roglic is sometimes not happy during the race, but he doesn't show it. He just goes ahead and executes his plan, follow or attack," Bruyneel continued.

"You can be physically stronger than Roglic, but if you waste a lot of energy emotionally, it will break you down in the end. He needs to be more calculated. He's gonna be the best someday; after all, he's been the best since he was sixteen. However, he must accept that not everyone will start working with you. They will only do that if they think they can benefit from it or win in the sprint. If you are so good, who will you help?”

The two now follow different paths towards the Giro d'Italia where they will likely co-lead the favourites list. Roglic will not race until the Corsa Rosa, whilst Evenepoel will race Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Both will train at altitude throughout the next few weeks.

Bruyneel has also commented on the rumour that Evenepoel was above his race weight despite the climbing performances he put out. "I've heard, but I can't believe it, that he (Evenepoel, ed.) is four kilos heavier than in the Vuelta. He stood there really light. But I think four kilos is a lot. If he loses those four kilos before the Giro, then it's game over. The rest don't even have to try. He is certainly not at his optimal weight yet, but it will be one or two kilos. He will definitely improve," he concluded.