Remco Evenepoel took an early blow to his GC hopes on the opening stage of the 2025 Tour de France, losing vital time on his rivals after crosswinds split the bunch on the run-in to Lille.
The Soudal-QuickStep leader was on the wrong side of a split with 17km remaining, as a group of approximately 35 riders surged on up the road.
Third overall last year and considered one of the top contenders for the 2025 Tour, Evenepoel eventually finished 39 seconds down on the lead group, unable to hide his disappointment as he cooled down at the bus.
"I think we were not really expecting [crosswinds] anymore, we fell asleep a bit and I must say, we were a bit too relaxed," Evenepoel explained to the media, including Cyclingnews, at the finish about the important setback to his GC options.
The Belgian team, no strangers to the echelons on Northern Europe's roads, found themselves completely out of position when the road turned into a cross-tailwind and Visma-Lease a Bike deployed their full Classics contingent to decimate the bunch.
"It was a big [mistake] and the only mistake we made today, because otherwise, we were always pretty well in front and well organised. We kind of believed that the race was just going to be a sprint. So yeah, big mistake by us, and it's a pretty unfortunate situation," the 25-year-old added.
Evenepoel even found himself briefly forced onto the grass verge as the washing machine effect went into spin mode and riders attempted to close down gaps. Fortunately, he managed to remain on his bike.
"The split was not that big, and I was hesitating to make a jump, but then there was like a sweep to the left, and I just couldn't pass anymore. Somebody touched me with their hip, and I lost a bit of balance. It was not on purpose, it was just a small accident that happened in the heat of the moment."
Despite obviously being disappointed to lose time on the likes of Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) so soon, Evenepoel was buoyed by the fact that there's plenty of time left to right his wrongs.
"It's just [a] stupid time loss, but we cannot change it. I'm happy that I've not ended up falling off the bike today.
"We have to look forward, it happens. There are 21 stages, and one is gone. So yeah, focus on tomorrow and then try to make the best of it again. Tuesday will also be a very tricky stage. So I think there are many more chances."
One of those chances for the Belgian will certainly be stage 5's individual time trial, with the day initially earmarked as a potential shot at the yellow jersey. However, the events of the Tour's opening day make such a bid for the overall lead an even harder ask for the Belgian talisman - an that's even before you consider the tough finishes facing the peloton before Wednesday.
What's more, any advantage that a successful time trial might offer the current World champion going into the mountains may now have been cancelled out - and that's even before this year's Tour has waved goodbye to the north of France.
The Tour de France is the biggest race in cycling, and a Cyclingnews subscription offers you unlimited access to our unrivalled coverage. Get all the breaking news and analysis from our team on the ground in France, plus the latest pro tech, live race reports, and a daily subscriber-only newsletter with exclusive insight into the action. Find out more.
