“The air conditioning in my room wasn’t working” – Remco Evenepoel admits sleepless night may have played role in UAE Tour setback
Cycling
Less than 24 hours after cracking badly on Jebel Mobrah and surrendering the UAE Tour lead, Remco Evenepoel offered a surprisingly calm explanation for his collapse.
“The air conditioning in my room wasn’t working,” he said before the start of Stage 4 in conversation with Sporza, as he searched for potential answers to his Queen Stage crack. “It was very warm, but that’s been fixed now. I was able to sleep better and recover better.”
It was one of several reasons the Belgian put forward while reflecting on a day that reshaped the general classification and saw him lose touch with the Red Jersey.
From race leader to 11th overall
Stage 3 had begun with Evenepoel in control after his dominant time trial victory. But on the brutal slopes of Jebel Mobrah, the race turned sharply.
As the gradient pitched into double digits, the red jersey was unable to follow the decisive accelerations. He was first distanced by the strongest climbers, then forced to ride alone as the gap quickly ballooned. By the summit, he had conceded 1:44 in the general classification and dropped from race leader to 11th overall.
Up front, Antonio Tiberi rode clear to take both the stage and the red jersey, while Isaac Del Toro recovered from early difficulty to limit his losses and move into second overall at 21 seconds.
Evenepoel’s commanding position after Stage 2 had vanished in a matter of kilometres.
“I was dropped”
Evenepoel did not hide from what happened. “What happened yesterday? I was dropped,” he said with a grin.
He admitted the warning signs had been there from early in the stage. “I didn’t feel very fresh in my legs, all day long. Maybe I didn’t digest the hard effort from Tuesday properly, and I started the climb a bit too confidently.”
He also acknowledged tactical impatience on the lower slopes. “Maybe I got caught out by the first attackers. I raced a bit impulsively at the foot of the climb, and a few kilometres later I paid for it.”
Sleepless night and no panic
The sleep issue added another layer to his explanation. “The air conditioning in my room wasn’t working. It was very warm. But that’s been fixed now.”
He stopped short of presenting it as a definitive cause, instead describing it as one factor in a day when his legs simply were not at their best. “I did everything I had to do. It was just a lesser day, I think. Maybe because of the time trial. I don’t know.”
Crucially, there was no sense of alarm. “We don’t need to panic. I’ve raced a lot already, and this is a process towards Catalonia and the Ardennes. Just stay calm and keep going. It will be fine.”
One more mountain opportunity
Evenepoel has already shifted his focus to the final mountain stage later in the week. “I’ve lost a lot of time, but that applies to others as well. I can still move up, and I want to win the stage.”
With the overall lead now out of reach unless further upheaval unfolds, the emphasis appears to have moved from defence to opportunism. Stage 3 may have cost him the red jersey, but it has not ended his ambitions for the week.
For now, the UAE Tour continues without its early race leader at the top of the standings. Whether his explanation lies in time trial fatigue, an overly aggressive start to the climb, a sleepless night in a warm hotel room, or a combination of all three, the result is clear: the race has shifted, and Evenepoel must now respond rather than control.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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Remco rolls it in 🥵 After suffering with cramp early in the climb, Remco Evenepoel finished 2:04 back on Antonio Tiberi and now sits 1:44 down on GC, but lives to fight another day 💪🏻
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