{"id":1843269,"date":"2026-03-23T10:29:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T07:29:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1843269"},"modified":"2026-03-23T10:29:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T07:29:31","slug":"evenepoel-denied-by-bike-throw-in-return-to-racing-after-uae-tour-collapse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1843269","title":{"rendered":"Evenepoel Denied by Bike-Throw in Return to Racing after UAE Tour Collapse"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-protein.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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Jim Cotton<\/span><\/div>\n

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Updated March 23, 2026 11:23AM<\/div>\n
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Dorian Godon denied Remco Evenepoel by a matter of centimeters in a spicy finale on stage 1 of the Volta a Catalunya.<\/p>\n

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The Frenchman won it on the bike-throw in Sant Feliu de Gu\u00edxols on Monday after Tom Pidcock and then Evenepoel lit the turbos early in a grinding uphill sprint.<\/p>\n

It was the second win in three race days for Godon, who\u2019s come in hot for his debut season at Ineos Grenadiers.<\/p>\n

Evenepoel finished second after Godon overhauled him meters from the line.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last 800 meters were uphill, and that\u2019s something that should normally suit me. I went for it, and in the end, it just wasn\u2019t quite for me,\u201d Evenepoel told Het Nieuwsblad<\/em> after the stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a shame, but it is a good start to the week,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Pidcock \u2013 not so fresh out of a stunning second place to Tadej Poga\u010dar at Milan-San Remo on Saturday \u2013 was third.<\/p>\n

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Dorian Godon overhauls Remco Evenepoel in an endless uphill sprint \ud83e\udd2f<\/p>\n

The Frenchman wins the opening stage of the Volta Catalunya. pic.twitter.com\/QT3OiyMQuX<\/p>\n

\u2014 Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) March 23, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Pre-race favorite Jonas Vingegaard finished safe in the pack after he stamped authority over the final of Monday\u2019s stage.<\/p>\n

This newly assertive \u201cVingo 2.0\u201d led the bunch down a twisting high-speed descent through the final kilometers after the day\u2019s early break was all swept up.<\/p>\n

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The explosive finale sets the tone for an aggressive week of racing at Volta a Catalunya across a tough vert-loaded parcours.<\/p>\n

Back with something to prove<\/h2>\n
\"Evenepoel
Evenepoel was the center of attention Monday ahead of stage 1 of Volta a Catalunya. (Photo: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Evenepoel faces a key test of his Tour de France credentials at this week\u2019s Catalan tour.<\/p>\n

He faces a deep field of GC hitters that includes Vingegaard, Pidcock, Jo\u00e3o Almeida, Oscar Onley, and Derek Gee-West.<\/p>\n

A tough week in Spain marks Evenepoel\u2019s first race since his classification aspirations at the UAE Tour last month evaporated under the desert sun.<\/p>\n

Two high-profile mountaintop capitulations left him 2:25 back on race-winner Isaac del Toro and looking for answers after he had romped across low-key races in Mallorca.<\/p>\n

Tenth in the UAE isn\u2019t what Red Bull signed him to a mega-contract for.<\/p>\n

Evenepoel is expecting \u2013 and will be expected \u2013 to be better in his comeback at Catalunya.<\/p>\n

He descended out of his very first altitude camp of the season only this weekend.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe UAE Tour wasn\u2019t my best week. In Tenerife, I was able to reset a bit and work for a good month. I was able to do everything on my schedule,\u201d Evenepoel said Sunday. \u201cNow we want to see the benefit.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven the course this week, I\u2019ve focused mainly on longer blocks, since there are finishes involving more than half an hour of climbing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evenepoel vs. Vingegaard? Remco hopes so<\/h2>\n
\"Evenepoel
Vingegaard took control through the final kilometers of Volta a Catalunya\u2019s first stage.<\/span> (Photo: Szymon Gruchalski\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Evenepoel pinpointed Vingegaard as the reference point for this week\u2019s race.<\/p>\n

The Dane dominated the washed-out Paris-Nice earlier this month in a major statement of intent for his Giro-Tour double.<\/p>\n

For Vingegaard, the Volta a Catalunya is a final tune-up for the Giro\u2019s grande partneza<\/em>.<\/p>\n

For Evenepoel, it\u2019s a chance to see where he stands against the best \u2013 and to end a three-year drought without WorldTour stage-race success.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve come close a few times, but it hasn\u2019t really worked out yet. The only two stage races [that worked out for me] are the UAE Tour and the Tour of Poland,\u201d Evenepoel said, referring to GC victories in 2023 and 2020 respectively.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBut of course those aren\u2019t races like Paris-Nice or the Tour of Catalunya. I\u2019m critical enough myself to know that I need to win again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three summit finishes in three days from Thursday through Saturday will show whether gains on Teide have translated to the open road.<\/p>\n

Volta a Catalunya stage 1 results:<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

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Jim Cotton<\/span><\/div>\n

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Updated March 23, 2026 11:23AM<\/div>\n
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[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/evenepoel-returns-at-volta-a-catalunya-with-something-to-prove\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-protein.jpg”] Jim Cotton Updated March 23, 2026 11:23AM Dorian Godon denied Remco Evenepoel by a matter of centimeters in a spicy finale on stage 1 of the Volta a Catalunya. The Frenchman won it on the bike-throw in Sant Feliu de Gu\u00edxols on Monday after Tom Pidcock and then Evenepoel lit the turbos […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,71],"class_list":["post-1843269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-velo-outsideonline-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1843269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1843269"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1843269\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1843269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1843269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1843269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}