Remco Evenepoel: "I am speechless to wear the yellow jersey"

After an impressive set of performances, and an ever-aggressive posture, Remco Evenepoel has managed to climb onto the lead of Itzulia Basque Country as he distanced Primoz Roglic and has slipped into the yellow jersey towards the final and likely most decisive day of the race.

“When I attacked, I just felt it was the right moment, and seeing that many of the GC riders didn’t react gave me an extra boost to keep pushing," Evenepoel said in a post-race interview. After several days of trying, his offensive stance payed off today as he attacked the Karabieta ascent with 14 kilometers. Several riders followed, but that didn't include race leader Primoz Roglic and Adam Yates, which meant there was motivation in the group to keep the attack going, eventually taking in the benefits for the GC fight.

The finale was a bit hectic, with the rain making the climb even more complicated. Just 75 meters from the finish, I slipped a bit, then the guys in front of me crashed, so it was quite eventful," he added. The final pitch to the line saw extremely rough gradients, which saw him barely avoid Jonas Vingegaard and Aleksandr Vlasov who've had to put a foot down and run across the finish line after an incident due to the gradient and wet road. Evenepoel arrived third to the line, two seconds behind Daniel Martínez.

“At the finish, the guys in the staff told me I’m the new leader of the race, which was quite emotional. I am speechless to wear the yellow jersey in the hardest week-long stage race of the season and I will give my best together with the team on the last stage. It will be difficult and I expect many attacks from the distance, but we will try and I hope to have good legs," he concluded.

With very small gaps between himself and the riders following, Evenepoel will have a very complicated task in the final day which will see the peloton climb to the Santuario de Arrate twice, but he carries the chance of capturing the overall win of the race and will be motivated.