Remco Evenepoel: "What a way to come back"

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team took responsibility of the chase during the opening stage of the Tour of Norway, and with no hesitation one of the race's main stars Remco Evenepoel has went on to take a strong win in Voss.

"I am very happy. It was quite cold and that always makes the race tough. What a way to come back. It feels good to be back," Evenepoel said in the post-race interview, after winning the opening hilltop finish of the Scandinavian race.

“It was quite steep. I didn't expect to feel so good on the first day, on such an explosive finish. I'm happy," he pointed out. In the final sprint he set off early on, and held off Tobias Johannessen to take his fifth win of the season.

During the last kilometers of the stage he had been on quite a complicated situation, having to take a nature break with less than 15 kilometers to the finish at a time the peloton was riding at high speed. “I had to pee urgently. I had to pee ten to fifteen times. I had to stop or my bladder would have burst. Was I afraid that my chances would be lost? No not at all. I knew there was some headwind and there was still a long way to get back between the cars," he pointed out.

It won't be an easy challenge to keep the race lead in the upcoming stages, however the Belgian has put himself in pole position for the overall win.