Even before the toughest mountain stage of the Tour of Catalonia, scheduled for Thursday at Vallter, cycling’s two titans, Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard, were eager to ignite the race. Their impatience led them to turn a seemingly ordinary flat stage into a direct challenge, showcasing their attacking prowess.
Breakaway and Fall
During the third stage to Vila-seca, with 24 kilometers remaining, Evenepoel launched a sudden, powerful attack on the flat. As if by instinct, Vingegaard was the first to react, joining his rival. Together, these two formidable contenders, seen as primary rivals to Pogacar, formed an unstoppable tandem, leaving the peloton far behind. With just one kilometer to the finish, they still held a commanding 14-second lead.
However, drama struck at 800 meters from the line, approaching a large roundabout. Evenepoel tragically slipped on a pedestrian crossing, falling heavily at an estimated 60 km/h, sustaining injuries on both sides of his body.
Vingegaard’s Fair Play
In a remarkable display of sportsmanship, Vingegaard chose not to capitalize on his rival’s misfortune. He slowed his pace significantly, allowing the chasing peloton to catch him just 150 meters from the finish line. Ultimately, the stage was won in a sprint by French rider Dorian Godon of Ineos Grenadiers, who also claimed the white leader’s jersey.
All eyes were on the two stars at the finish. Evenepoel appeared dazed and struggled to explain the incident, while Vingegaard demonstrated true fair play. The Dane from Visma-Lease a Bike recounted: “I’m not sure what happened to him; it was a rather strange fall. I saw him lose control of his handlebars. Naturally, I didn’t want to gain any advantage from that situation, so I slowed down and let the group catch me. I honestly didn’t expect him to fall.”
He added, “We thought the stage would end in a sprint, then suddenly I saw Remco go, and I followed him. We worked together, and he was incredibly strong.”
With three consecutive mountain finishes from Thursday to Saturday, culminating in Sunday’s final stage on Barcelona’s Olympic circuit of Montjuïc – where the first yellow jersey of the Tour will be decided – more spectacular racing is certainly on the horizon.
