"That is always a bonus" - Remco Evenepoel secures solitary bonus second on stage 2 of Itzulia Basque Country

After his crash in the opening time-trial, Remco Evenepoel started stage 2 of the 2024 Itzulia Basque Country 11 seconds behind race leader, Primoz Roglic.

After showing himself in the intermediate sprint for bonus seconds on stage 2, the Soudal - Quick-Step leader has now cut that deficit by a single second to just 10. "It was only a small effort," sports director Klaas Lodewyck reflects afterwards in quotes collected by In de Leiderstrui.

Whilst he wasn't able to make the maximum seconds on offer, every second could be crucial by the end of the week and as such, Lodewyck and Soudal - Quick-Step have no regrets about Evenepoel's tactics to attack the intermediate sprints.

"It most likely won't make the race, but the bonuses were just there. Moreover, every classification rider was ready there, so that is always a bonus," he concludes. "Fortunately, no one from the team fell, but you always need luck. You can't control something like that, but I'm glad everyone is safely on the bus."