photo credits @ UAE Tour
Remco Evenepoel claimed the Individual Time Trial in stage 2 of the UAE Tour today, finishing six seconds ahead of Josh Tarling, while Remi Cavagna completed the podium in third.
Evenepoel won the race against the clock with an average speed of 56kph, setting a time of 13:03 on the flat 12.2km course.
As a result, the Belgian rider took over the race leader from Isaac Del Toro, who is widely viewed as a race favorite after the withdrawal of Jonas Vingegaard.
Evenepoel now faces the summit finish to Jebel Mobrah in tomorrow’s stage 3 with a buffer of 32 seconds on Del Toro. The stiff climb is a new addition to the UAE Tour, and the final 7km have an average gradient of almost 12%.
“My fastest ever individual time trial! The course was pretty flat and not very technical so it was perfect for being quick. I’m very happy to have done it today. I was kinda chasing my first individual stage victory at the UAE Tour because we won the team time trial in 2023 and I was twice second on uphill finishes so it’s a very cool feeling today. Isaac Del Toro did everything he could. We knew it was better to start early but he won yesterday and I won today so we both have a stage win in our pocket. From now, the GC battle will be open. With the very hard climb there’s to come, it’s more comfortable to defend the lead than have to attack. It’s the perfect situation for us. Now we have to defend the lead till Sunday,” said Evenepoel.
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