Remco Evenepoel finished third on his debut at the Tour of Flanders. Finishing 1 minute and 11 seconds behind winner Tadej Pogacar, he secured a podium place in Oudenaarde. Gianni Vermeersch, Tim van Dijke and Laurence Pithie contributed to a strong team performance.
Remco covered the final 50 kilometres on his own. As they tackled the Paterberg for the first time, Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel – with whom Remco was still riding at that point – made the most of their experience on the cobbles. For a long time, he was only a few seconds behind the leading duo, before the gap eventually widened slightly.
It was an almost perfect debut for me. And as a team, we were outstanding too. It put me in a great position at the crucial moments. When the final got underway, it all came down to my legs. I believe I finished in the place I deserve. I definitely want to come back.
— Remco Evenepoel
Once again this classics season, however, the team’s overall performance was in a league of its own. Gianni Vermeersch in tenth, Tim van Dijke in eleventh and Laurence Pithie in fourteenth all put in impressive performances. No other team can boast such depth in the final standings.
Remcos third place is a result that he can be really proud of. And also the whole team is proud on him, not only for the result but also the way for it. On top of everything we placed four riders in the Top 15. We were not only part of the race, we made it. The third place is the reward for the hard work.
— Zak Dempster, Chief of Sports
