Remco Evenepoel wins 2022 Vuelta a Espana

Remco Evenepoel has won the 2022 Vuelta a Espana. This is the first time Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team has won a Grand Tour under the guidance of Patrick Lefevere and is the first time Belgium has won a Grand Tour since 1978, when Johan De Muynck has won the Giro d'Italia. This comes as a major achievement that has been decades in the making, a winless streak now broke by the 22-year old.

Evenepoel made his debut in Grand Tours at the 2021 Giro d'Italia, after 9 months without competition following serious injuries sustained at the 2020 Il Lombardia. His first experience was not a success, suffering with the conditions and without his best form, he abandoned the race in the final week. After years of being touted as the 'next Eddy Merckx' and 'Belgium's new Grand Tour star' the pressure was immense on his shoulders, which has made this achievement ever more impressive as he not only had to compete with the likes of Enric Mas and Primoz Roglic, but had to sustain the high expectations from a nation that has so eagerly waited for a talent of his kind.

Evenepoel has built on his success on the opening week, where he blasted through the first summit finish at Pico Jano on stage 6, to pace himself up the mountain and take 1:22 minutes on Primoz Roglic and several other riders who were expected to be his main rivals. That early performance put him in the red jersey, but what followed was a similar ride up Colláu Fancuaya on stage 8 in which he led Roglic and eventual runner-up Enric Mas to the finish.

His climbing legs were on display once again on stage 9 however into the very steep climb into Les Praeres, where Evenepoel soared up the mountain to take almost a minute on both Mas and Roglic, extending his lead meaningfully and breaking the questions over whether he could perform in the steeper climbs. He entered the second week just as well as he left the first, winning the individual time-trial on stage 10, taking 48 seconds on second place Primoz Roglic and a whole 1:51 minutes on Enric Mas which proved decisive at the end of the three weeks.

The second week was his main obstacle, with longer ascents and altitude added into the mix, besides the addition of fatigue which was unknown for a rider who hadn't finished a Grand Tour until today. Stage 12 to Peñas Blancas saw Evenepoel once again in control of the competition and maintaining his lead, however the coming weekend would not be as easy. On the 14th stage to Sierra de la Pandera the Belgian showed his first signs of fragility, as the attacks that were dealt on the steep ascent saw Evenepoel dropped from the GC group. However what first appeared to be a breakdown was in fact a controlled move from Evenepoel, who despite losing important time, limited his losses to less than a minute from the rest of the GC riders.

The signs were not good into the queen stage at Sierra Nevada however, but as he withstood the attacks on the first kilometers of the climb, he set off for another defensive journey up the mountain. As Enric Mas attacked the race Evenepoel stayed calm, and although he shed time at the line, it was not enough to be a serious hit as he rode at his own pace for the final several kilometers of the stage with Roglic on his wheel - who would eventually take some time near the end. At the end of the second week his lead was of 1:34 and 2:01 to Roglic and Mas respectively.

The third week did not feature stages as hard, but fatigue would come into play. Stage 16 however saw a development that would benefit him highly as Primoz Roglic abandoned the race following a very hard crash near the finish. Evenepoel punctured and was briefly thought to have lost the red jersey, but as the judges decided to use the three-kilometer rule he kept the race lead. Stage 17 into Monasterio de Tentudía saw him withstand the offensive of Enric Mas, which would become the topic of the final week.

Stage 18 was similar as Mas attempted several times to drop the leader of the race, but unsuccessfully. Evenepoel showed he was at the same level he displayed on the first week and managed to extend his lead slightly as he won the 18th stage at Alto del Piornal. To dethrone him at this point seemed difficult, but that did not mean an easy ride into Puerto de Navacerrada on stage 20 where he was tested again, far from the finish. He managed to hang on to the GC group at all times however, crossing the line in tears as he had virtually confirmed his maiden Grand Tour win. Today, as he crossed the line in Madrid, he became the new winner of the Vuelta a Espana.