Evenepoel inspired to challenge Pogačar: 'it's good motivation'
Remco Evenepoel has suffered his third defeat in as many weekends to Tadej Pogačar, at the World and European Championships, then at Saturday's Il Lombardia. But while Pogačar has been head and shoulders above the whole peloton, Evenepoel has also been a distant victor over everyone else.
"It all happened very quickly when Pogačar attacked," Evenepoel said after the race. "I was the only one still making preparations; the rest were at their limit. It was just the story of the past races. When the pace is very high, Pogačar can accelerate a bit. The rest have to do their own thing. In the end, I finished second again, but I'm happy with how I did it."
Evenepoel was racing his last race for Soudal-QuickStep, ending seven seasons with the Belgian team before his move to Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe this winter, during which he's hoping to elevate himself closer to his rival.
"It's just good motivation to work towards his level. I've been fighting for it these past few weeks. We'll take that into account, and in the winter we'll work on getting closer to him."
