Remco Evenepoel is going to wait and see in a tricky stage in the Tour of the Basque Country: “We are going to try to survive”

The third stage of the Tour of the Basque Country already promises a bit of fireworks, with six climbs on the way to Altsasu. Remco Evenepoel is ready for any scenario.

“We will see. The second day after a crash is usually the worst for me,” said the Belgian champion, who crashed in Monday’s time trial. “Hopefully that’s not the case today, because I need good legs. I certainly had a good night, everything is under control. We are going to try to survive.”

Along the way there are three third and three second category climbs on the menu. The last with the summit about 20 kilometers from the finish, the Lizarrusti (6.3 km at 5.2 percent).

“I’m going to keep a close eye on it and see what will happen,” Evenepoel remains cautious. “I think there are a number of men who want to ride to the finish with a small group. We are open to every situation. If it’s with a larger group, I won’t mingle. We will try it with a smaller group. The start will be difficult, because it is immediately uphill. It will be a difficult stage, which we hopefully can control. There will be war immediately, then things can go either way. That last climb? Something will happen there as there are teams that benefit from thinning out the group. However, afterwards there is a headwind on a large track, so riders could still come back. It can go either way for me. It’s definitely not up to us today.”