Pre-Tour speculation does not always stand up to the reality of the race. A few days ago, most observers were betting on Remco Evenepoel taking the overall lead in the time trial in Caen, a flat loop that was supposed to be a pathway with direct access to the Maillot Jaune. That plan has since been shattered in the opening stage towards Lille, where Soudal-Quick Step found themselves trapped in their own game, ironically by a powerful move in the wind orchestrated by Visma-Lease a Bike.
It was a blow to the Belgian leader, who lost 39 seconds to Tadej Pogacar, for example, which has since turned into 58 seconds with the bonus seconds claimed by the Slovenian. Admittedly, the world and Olympic time trial champion has the means to beat the best rider on the planet on this type of terrain, as he demonstrated in the recent Dauphiné, but such a gap seems difficult to close, even over a distance of 33 kilometres.
On the bright side, Evenepoel can take comfort in the absence of Filippo Ganna, one of the only riders who seemed capable of challenging him for the stage win, as well as Stefan Bisseger, both of whom abandoned the race on the first day. The possibility of winning another Tour bouquet after the one he won in Burgundy last year therefore appears very concrete.
Would this potential victory be enough to spark a comeback for the third-place finisher in the 2024 Tour? He can also look at Kévin Vauquelin’s white jersey. Highly motivated on his home roads, the Normandy native needs to pull off a minor miracle... and why not?
