A t the time, race followers worried that Remco Evenepoel had received such a battering in the Giro d’Italia that the psychological damage might be long lasting or permanent. He conceded 24 minutes on stage 16 to Cortina d’Ampezzo then 36 minutes the next day at Sega di Ala. For a rider who a lot of people thought could win the race even at its midpoint, that was a shattering amount of time to lose. If he had shed 30 seconds or a minute here and there to Egan Bernal, he could easily expect to come back stronger and win one day with more experience and strength; to shed an hour in two days might suggest that he’s not cut out for grand tours, even notwithstanding the fact that he’s just come back from a very nasty crash in summer 2020.
However, as we have learned in the last two seasons, Remco Evenepoel is not easily kept down. In his very next race, the Baloise Belgium Tour, he spent stage 1 on a long range attack, coming second in the sprint but 28 seconds ahead of the bunch. Stage 2 was a time trial, which he won. Mostly, the Belgium Tour is won by seconds, not minutes, but after just two days, Evenepoel was 45 seconds clear of second place. With three sprint stages left, the young Belgian defended his lead easily. The Giro may well have damaged Evenepoel psychologically, but only for a matter of 10 days or so. That he bounced back so quickly will hearten his team and restore his reputation.