Remco Evenepoel leads Vuelta a Espana after superb climbing performance: "I think what I achieved today is as beautiful as my win in Liège-Bastogne-Liège"

Remco Evenepoel had given signs of great climbing abilities, most recently at the Clasica San Sebastian, however today at the Vuelta a Espana he turned the race on it's head as he blasted up the ascent to Pico Jano to take serious time on most of his rivals and put on the red jersey.

“I cannot say at this moment I am going to win the Vuelta, not at all. There are still two weeks of racing. What is sure is we will do everything we can to keep it," Evenepoel said in a post-race interview. This comes as his first time leading a Grand Tour, after a rainy day where he thrived. Today's sixth stage of the Vuelta was the first mountainous one, and Evenepoel had Julian Alaphilippe and Fausto Masnada set the pace into the final climb, anticipating a move.

That came inside the final 10 kilometers, early in the final climb, as no team took control and the Belgian launched two small - but powerful - accelerations that saw no-one but Enric Mas able to keep up the pace. Behind were Primoz Roglic, Jai Hindley, Richard Carapaz and all other GC contenders. “I think what I achieved today is as beautiful as my win in Liège-Bastogne-Liège,” he described.

Evenepoel rode to the finish into second place as Jay Vine took the win. However, he took 1:22 minutes on Roglic and the main GC group. With former leader Rudy Molard also distanced, Evenepoel became the new leader of the race. “My first leader’s jersey is an amazing feeling," he admits. "The Vuelta is far from over. We’re going to do our maximum and best to try to keep the jersey and try to defend it for the next three days, then we’ll see what it brings... To take a leader’s jersey in a grand tour you had no reasons to feel sad because of missing the stage win. There are only positive feelings in my second place.”

His collaboration with Enric Mas was not he smoothest, with the Mallorcan failing to give any meaningful turn however. “I did ask for help Mas but he never did. We knew the gap was going, and if we worked together, maybe we could catch the guy in the break," he said. However, he was satisfied with the damage done behind. “The most important was to extend the lead to the other strong climbers".

"Enric was just able to follow, but I am not mad at all. He did a perfect race as well, he looks really strong to do well in this Vuelta," he concluded. Tomorrow's stage into Cistierna will be a calmer one for the GC riders, but the last two days of the first week will be two serious challenges for Evenepoel to fight for his new lead.