Three Wins, Three Days, No Problem: Remco Evenepoel Does It Yet Again

Remco Evenepoel has continued his glorious start to the season, topping the podium for the third day in a row in Mallorca.

The new Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider won the Trofeo Andratx – Pollença on Saturday, whittling down the list of contenders with a number of surges on the Col de Puig Major

He then pushed ahead with Mathys Rondel, hitting the climb of the Mirador d’Es Colomer with the Tudor Pro Cycling rider and dropping the Dutchman with a powerful surge with 2.6km to go.

A rampant Evenepoel reached the line 19 seconds clear, with his Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe teammate Maxim van Gils beating António Morgado (UAE Emirates-XRG) for the podium, 1:44 back.

“The conditions as well were different to yesterday, much more headwind than yesterday,” Evenepoel told Cycling Pro Net at the finish. “Very strong winds as well. The Puig Major is quite a long climb, but not super steep. So you have quite some men sitting on the wheels. I think it was in general more difficult to make a big, big difference there.

“But then once Maxim pushed in the last k, I decided to go really flat out in the tunnel and then there were quite big gaps. Then in the decent there was quite a lot of headwind. Also Romeo [Movistar rider Iván Romeo] was not really working, so then they came back. But then it was a very good situation like this, because we were in two [from Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe].

“At some moment it split on the descent and then from the car on I got the advice to go flat out until the climb. There was only one part tailwind on the climb and that is where I tried to make my move. It was a good one.”

Continuing a 100 percent win rate

Saturday’s 1.1-ranked race was shortened by 26km, with the opening section removed due to high winds. That wasn’t a problem for Evenepoel, with the Belgian securing his third triumph in as many days.

On Thursday his Red Bull squad won the Trofeo Ses Salines team time trial ahead of Movistar and Jayco AlUla. He then dominated Friday’s Trofeo Serra Tramuntana with a powerful 55km solo breakaway.

“It is pretty good,” he said of those three victories. “I am very happy with that, really satisfied.

His season start is in clear contrast to that of 12 months ago, with Evenepoel sidelined from competition until April due to the bad training accident he suffered in December. He was doored by a post office van while training in Belgium and while he went on to take a number of strong results, including victories in the world and European time trial championships, he was below par in the Tour de France and withdrew

He and his new team will be hoping that the much more solid winter he has enjoyed will translate into sparkling Tour de France form in July. He’s already winning right now, and will start the Volta Comunitat Valencian on Wednesday in a confident frame of mind.

However while he will try to add to his successes there, he does point out keeping his 100 percent win rate will be very tricky.

“Of course I think it is going to be difficult to keep this up, because probably the first stage in Valencia will be a sprint. So I think there my 100 percent will go away,” he said.

“But I think it is really nice. I am really happy with how it went here, the three days. A good feeling, good sensations with the team as well. And of course it is very positive to start like this.”

More to follow soon…