Remco Evenepoel "knew it was going to be a hard time trial" as he flew into second at Itzulia

Remco Evenepoel has put on another strong performance against the clock today at Itzulia Basque Country, however he's found a competitor of a superior level on the day as Primoz Roglic equaled the Belgian on the first intermediate point, and in the second made the winning difference.

“I knew it was going to be a hard time trial, with some technical parts, but I did everything that I could and rode as fast as possible. I don’t have any regrets, because just one guy was better than me today," Evenepoel said.

"I am a bit disappointed, as I came here with a good condition and wanted to win, but I am confident other opportunities will come this week," he added. Evenepoel was the fasted in the first intermediate point of the course, and despite arriving at the finish taking 11 seconds on teammate Rémi Cavagna, he couldn't defend himself from the time of Primoz Roglic who stormed into the stage win taking another five seconds.

Eyeing the Ardennes, it is to be expected that Evenepoel will tackle the Basque roads with strong form and will try to be a factor in the general classification, whilst he and Julian Alaphilippe mainly will be looking to get a stage win out of the race.