"We're not even halfway yet, so the plan remains the same" - Remco Evenepoel insists top-5 remains goal on Tour de France debut

With the 2024 Tour de France reaching the first rest day, it's time for the Maillot Jaune hopefuls to take stock. For Remco Evenepoel and those within Soudal - Quick-Step, spirits are high after an overwhelmingly positive opening week.

On Sunday's stunning gravel stage 9 that brought that opening week to a close, Evenepoel was a protagonist throughout, keeping the rest of the GC riders on their toes and attempting a number of attacks throughout the day. "It's not bad anyway, we knew it was a risk to ride on stages like that. But it's okay, I think that for the spectators it was a good show," assesses Soudal - Quick-Step sports director Tom Steels in conversation with Cyclism'Actu. "For the future, these white roads should perhaps be a little harder. But it's okay, everything went well."

Now nine stages down, Evenepoel finds himself 2nd overall at the first rest day, just 33 seconds behind the Maillot Jaune wearing Tadej Pogacar and still very much in the fight for overall victory. "Everything went well, it's even better than what we hoped," assesses Steels. "It's only his first Tour de France, he won the time trial and he's still second in the general classification, we're really happy. What's next? We'll see, you never know, it could be second or fifth, I don't know. Normally the podium is the goal, yes, but it's still a long way off."

"We're not even halfway yet, so the plan (top 5) remains the same. The most hectic stages may be over, but the hardest are yet to come. Maybe after the Pyrenees we can aim for a top three position, but for now I'm staying calm. We'll see how I get through next week. I'm doing well with the stress. Yesterday for example I was usually well positioned. So far everything is going well and I feel calm. I'll take it day by day and then we'll see," Evenepoel himself said in his rest day press conference.

"The general level in the Tour is just so much higher. You have to stay focused all the time and be well positioned. But I was warned well in advance and so far it's all going well. I have better legs than in last year's Vuelta," Evenepoel added.