"My legs started to run out" - Remco Evenepoel feeling brutal mountain stages in the legs

Remco Evenepoel is at the top of the sport but with such toughness that has been delivered in this Criterium du Dauphiné, he has been struggling in the final climbs. The Belgian put on a strong performance on today's queen stage, but like everyone, he had to go to the absolute limit.

“When you have just made a full effort and everyone comes rushing towards you, that is not so pleasant”, Evenepoel said following the finale of the stage, where he was upset at a photographer that was invading his personal space amongst the team staff, according to Het Laatste Nieuws.

Evenepoel started the day in fourth place overall and maintained it, however saw his gap to Jonas Vingegaard and Florian Lipowitz expand which makes a final podium quite unlikely. Like the previous day, Evenepoel only had to follow the wheels until the attack of Tadej Pogacar, and then time-trial up the mountain to finish as fast as possible.

“It was of course super difficult. At the start it was uphill, in the middle and at the end. I was well up front, but towards the end my legs started to run out. I became a bit quiet. A bit the same story as yesterday," he explains.

The gap is now quite significant back to his rivals, but equally, it's also unlikely that he falls out of the position he currently stands in. He's showing a strong and consistent level in this Dauphiné which is a strong sign ahead of the Tour de France, but he does not want to take conclusions from whether he's coming closer to the riders he joined on the podium last year.

“I’m not going to answer that. I have to look at where I was last year. Then I came seventh, behind ‘smaller’ names. So I’m further along than last year. I have to focus on myself and take it day by day," he concluded.