The Tour de France has been unforgiving to Soudal-Quick Step on Saturday, as the team failed to deliver its expected sprint victory. The stage 1 event into Lille seemed straightforward at first, but a crosswind drove teams like Visma-Lease a Bike forward, leaving Quick-Step behind.
Remco Evenepoel and Tim Merlier suffered significant time losses, dropping 39 seconds behind rivals Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard. This setback has put the team’s stage ambitions in jeopardy, according to CEO Jurgen Foré, who expressed disappointment at not achieving their initial goal.
“We came here for a sprint victory and not to lose time,” Foré said. The team’s misfortune highlights the Tour de France’s competitive nature, where even small advantages can make a big difference.
Source: https://escapecollective.com/evenepoel-loses-seconds-and-momentum-on-windswept-tour-opener