"The leader's jersey is nice, but so early in a big stage race, perhaps a poisoned gift" - Lefevere on Remco Evenepoel taking red jersey

After stage six of the Vuelta a Espana, Remco Evenepoel came out on top in the general classification. The accomplishment has left Patrick Lefevere in a state of elation.

Having had experience in handling similar situations, however, he prefers to remain calm and observe the development of the situation carefully. “I can imagine that the whole of Belgium is in an uproar, but let's stay calm. Remco hasn't won a stage yet and can still have a bad day," he told HLN.

He continues, “All in all, the time differences are not too bad. But Remco took the initiative and rode all the classic riders out of the wheel, except Enric Mas. "The most important thing is that Remco doesn't lose time to direct competitors until the rest day.”

Lefevere knows it won't be easy for Evenepoel to keep the red jersey. "The leader's jersey is nice, but so early in a big stage race, perhaps a poisoned gift. The team already had to waste energy in the past few days to keep Remco in front and will have to work even harder in the coming days," concluded Lefevere.