Remco Evenepoel on return to racing at Tour of Britain: "The feeling is not super bad, but I have been better"

In a golden bike and with new golden stripes on his jersey, Remco Evenepoel returned to competition at the Tour of Britain. The Belgian contributed to the victory of Paul Magnier whilst accessing his own form in the opening day of the British race.

“Difficult, I was not completely at my best either. As soon as someone pulled through, I started to sour completely (he means his legs started to hurt bad, ed.)," Evenepoel said in words to Sporza. "But overall I have a good feeling about this, you know. It is a good starting point to continue working. No, the illness was no longer dormant in my body. I did notice that I missed intensive training. The feeling is not super bad, but I have been better.”

Evenepoel is building up towards the World Championships - in three weeks - and Britain is a stepping stone in the path. The first three hilly days are a test for his form against other strong classics riders. But on stage 1 it came down to a sprint, and he assisted his young French teammate Paul Magnier into a sprint victory. “If he can keep up on the tough climbs, then you know he’s good. He was clearly the strongest today.”

This Wednesday the Belgian will have a more accurate test for form, but in the meantime he admits that he feels motivated to ride on a newly-painted bike after his recent and extreme Olympic success. “It was chic to ride around like that. I also received a lot of compliments about the bike. That gives me extra wings,”