Remco Evenepoel’s fierce attack in crosswinds during the third stage of Volta a Catalunya created a race situation that looked like it was going to be a thrilling two-up sprint. Only Jonas Vingegaard could follow and the two rode alone for the latter portion of the stage. That finish took a weird twist when Belgium’s double Olympic champion crashed within sight of the finish.
How the two stars of cycling reacted couldn’t have been more different.
Jonas Vingegaard slowed up, apparently not wishing to take advantage of the crash to improve his position in the race. A classy. move from the Dane.
Evenepoel? He took his moment with the press after the stage as an opportunity to complain about Vingegaard.
“It was clear who wanted to ride to win”
Speaking with Eurosport about how the breakaway was working together, the Belgian managed a brusque “The cooperation was amazing.”
His true feelings, the ones that matched his numerous emphatic arm waves at Vingegaard during the race, came out when talking with Sporza.
“It was clear who wanted to ride to win and who didn’t,” Evenepoel said. “I don’t care much about what others’ tactics are. That’s their problem.”
Kinda sounds like it was your problem, Evenepoel.
It also could be a problem later in the season. If I was Vingegaard seeing that interview on the bus back to the hotel, it sure wouldn’t encourage me to cooperate with Evenepoel more in the next race. And Volta a Catalunya, while important, is not the biggest race on either rider’s calendar. It’s pretty early in the season for the Belgian to be burning so many bridges.
Crashes and comments: Part two
To be fair, the Belgian revealed in the same interview that his injuries may force him out of the Volta a Catalunya. So he’s probably in some substantial discomfort. We can’t blame him too much for being salty.
We also can’t help but point out that very few in the comments section were blaming him for the crash, either. This stands in stark contrast to the brutal comments left on a post about the women crashing on Cipressa during Milan-San Remo.
The comments aren’t all nice, to be sure. Several piled on to point out Evenepoel’s growing reputation as a bit of a brat. But there are also comments defending Evenepoel and blaming the UCI – all before the Belgian revealed the cause of his crash. And there are very few saying that Evenepoel doesn’t know how to ride a bike. Just like there were no comments saying Pogacar doesn’t know how to ride a bike when he caused his own crash during Milan-San Remo.
Why are we pointing this out here? Because it sucks that the women’s peloton are subjected to that kind of abuse online, first. And second, because it sucks that pointing out that double standard, a lowlight in the sport, distracts from the highlights of women’s racing, but rarely for men’s. No other rider has to make a post defending Evenepoel’s ability to ride a bike (even if someone at the team might have to make another comment to the media defending his attitude).