'Pogi not starting': Evenepoel jokes about what it will take to win the Tour
Remco Evenepoel has had, by all measures, a very good Tour de France. With two stage wins and his best-ever finish of second to race leader Tadej Pogačar, the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe leader has cemented his leadership place in the team, confirmed his potential, and arguably ridden better in the final week of a Grand Tour than ever. But even he knows that's not enough to beat the best rider of his generation.
When asked at the finish of stage 20 how he might take the last step up to the top of the podium, a clearly relaxed Evenepoel joked, "Pogi not starting." While said with a smile, it also acknowledged the reality of the current Tour regime.
"I always aim for the highest possible result and try to win. I did everything I could," he said after attacking late to finish second on the stage and gain back a bit of time on GC. But when pressed on whether he was serious about Pogačar's dominance, Evenepoel didn't shy away from the topic. "For the next few years, I think it is [reality]. Unfortunately."
