“The sprint means nothing, but it is always nice to win that sprint" - Remco Evenepoel makes late demonstration to finish first of the GC riders on stage 7 at the Giro d'Italia

Remco Evenepoel and the rest of his general classification rivals never engaged in the expected battle on the first mountain top finish of this year's Giro d'Italia. Nevertheless, Evenepoel made sure he finished first as they sprinted across the line.

“I had a good feeling today,” Evenepoel told Sporza and VTM in a post-stage interview taken immediately following the conclusion to the stage. "What is my feeling? All right, I won the sprint. You never know that there will be gaps, especially at a height, riders can come to a standstill.”

Although there were no gaps in the end, the Belgian showcased he still has good legs despite crashing twice just a few days ago, sending out a warning shot to his rivals. “The sprint means nothing, but it is always nice to win that sprint,” continues the Soudal - Quick-Step leader. “It was rather to stay out of trouble. First is better than last.”

“It was a long day, we were on the bike for six hours. It was also very cold at the top and the transfer down is not optimal either," says Evenepoel, on top of the snowy Italian mountain top. "This will get into the clothes,” he concludes.