'It was by accident', Remco Evenepoel explains how early Liège split, La Redoute limit and sprint to third shaped his race

'It was by accident', Remco Evenepoel explains how early Liège split, La Redoute limit and sprint to third shaped his race

Evenepoel drifted into a 50-rider front group within the first four kilometres, conserved energy as the gap ballooned, then hit his ceiling when Pogačar attacked on La Redoute. He still sprinted to third.

By Tim Bonville-Ginn · · 3 min read

Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) said after Liège–Bastogne–Liège on Sunday that he ended up in the race's large early breakaway "by accident," then switched into energy-saving mode as the gap grew to nearly four minutes before losing contact on La Redoute and sprinting to third behind Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) and Paul Seixas.

Pogačar took his latest Monument victory, with Seixas finishing second at 45 seconds and Evenepoel completing the podium at 1'42" as he led in the peloton with a strong and extended sprint.

The race split after just four kilometres, producing a front group of more than 50 riders. Evenepoel was among them, but not by design. "I was just in position 30," he told the Cycling Pro Net video channel after the finish. "So it's not that I was really jumping to be in the break. I think it just split at some point and then I found myself in the front. It was by accident that we were in there. It was not the goal."

Once the advantage passed two minutes and kept rising, Evenepoel's approach changed. "I just had to save and make sure I would arrive as fresh as possible to the hills," he said. The gap pushed toward four minutes, with UAE Team Emirates XRG among the teams forced to chase.

Results

Liège - Bastogne - Liège • Apr 26

Velora
PosRiderTeamTime
🥇
Tadej Pogačar
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG6:00:09
🥈
Giulio Ciccone
LIDL-TREK+1:03
🥉
Ben Healy
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+1:03
4
Simone Velasco
XDS ASTANA TEAM+1:10
5
Thibau Nys
LIDL-TREK+1:10
6
Andrea Bagioli
LIDL-TREK+1:10
7
Daniel Felipe Martinez Poveda
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+1:10
8
Axel Laurance
INEOS GRENADIERS+1:10
9
Thomas Pidcock
Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM+1:10
10
Neilson Powless
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+1:10
11
Michael James Matthews
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+1:10
12
Oscar Onley
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+1:10
13
Tiesj Benoot
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+1:10
14
Emiel Verstrynge
ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK+1:10
15
Alex Aranburu Deva
COFIDIS+1:10
16
Lennert van Eetvelt
LOTTO+1:10
17
Andreas Leknessund
UNO-X MOBILITY+1:10
18
Aurélien Paret Peintre
DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM+1:10
19
Romain Gregoire
GROUPAMA-FDJ+1:10
20
Ben Tulett
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+1:10
21
Guillaume Martin Guyonnet
GROUPAMA-FDJ+1:10
22
Mauro Schmid
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+1:10
23
Christian Scaroni
XDS ASTANA TEAM+1:10
24
Jordan Jegat
TOTALENERGIES+1:10
25
Louis Barre
INTERMARCHÉ - WANTY+1:10
26
Brandon Mcnulty
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+1:10
27
Roger Adria Oliveras
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+1:10
28
Clément Berthet
DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM+1:10
29
Pello Bilbao Lopez de Armentia
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+1:10
30
Alex Baudin
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+1:10
31
Attila Valter
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+1:10
32
Joseph Blackmore
ISRAEL - PREMIER TECH+1:10
33
Carlos Rodriguez Cano
INEOS GRENADIERS+1:10
34
Ion Izaguirre Insausti
COFIDIS+1:10
35
Mauri Vansevenant
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+1:10
36
Diego Ulissi
XDS ASTANA TEAM+1:10
37
Santiago Buitrago Sanchez
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+1:10
38
Pavel Sivakov
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+1:10
39
Mattias Skjelmose Jennow Jensen
LIDL-TREK+1:10
40
Alexey Lutsenko
ISRAEL - PREMIER TECH+1:10
41
Magnus Sheffield
INEOS GRENADIERS+1:10
42
Christopher Harper
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+1:10
43
Nicholas Schultz
ISRAEL - PREMIER TECH+1:15
44
Ben Alexander O'Connor
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+1:21
45
Marc Hirschi
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+2:20
46
Bastien Tronchon
DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM+2:20
47
Quinten Hermans
ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK+2:58
48
Georg Zimmermann
INTERMARCHÉ - WANTY+2:58
49
Nicola Conci
XDS ASTANA TEAM+2:58
50
Kévin Vauquelin
ARKEA-B&B HOTELS+2:58
51
Filippo Zana
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+2:58
52
Kévin Geniets
GROUPAMA-FDJ+2:58
53
Jack Haig
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+2:58
54
Nelson Filipe dos Santos Simoes Oliveira
MOVISTAR TEAM+2:58
55
Ruben Antonio Almeida Guerreiro
MOVISTAR TEAM+2:58
56
Rudy Molard
GROUPAMA-FDJ+2:58
57
Giulio Pellizzari
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+3:01
58
Julian Alaphilippe
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+3:03
59
Remco Evenepoel
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+3:11
60
Floris de Tier
WAGNER BAZIN WB+3:11
61
Archie Ryan
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+3:19
62
Simon James Clarke
ISRAEL - PREMIER TECH+5:38
63
Patrick Konrad
LIDL-TREK+5:38
64
Valentin Madouas
GROUPAMA-FDJ+5:38
65
Fredrik Dversnes
UNO-X MOBILITY+5:41
66
Ådne Holter
UNO-X MOBILITY+5:41
67
Sakarias Koller Løland
UNO-X MOBILITY+5:41
68
Sylvain Moniquet
COFIDIS+5:41
69
Mathieu Burgaudeau
TOTALENERGIES+5:41
70
Jordan Labrosse
DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM+5:41
71
Xandro Meurisse
ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK+5:41
72
Edoardo Zambanini
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+5:41
73
Koen Bouwman
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+5:41
74
Nans Peters
DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM+5:41
75
Frederik Wandahl
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+5:41
76
Christopher Hamilton
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+5:41
77
Milan Vader
Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM+5:41
78
Louis Rouland
ARKEA-B&B HOTELS+5:41
79
Davide Formolo
MOVISTAR TEAM+5:44
80
Ramses Debruyne
ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK+5:48
81
Laurens de Plus
INEOS GRENADIERS+5:48
82
Romain Bardet
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+5:48
83
Eduardo Sepulveda
LOTTO+8:11
84
Magnus Cort Nielsen
UNO-X MOBILITY+8:11
85
Reuben Thompson
LOTTO+8:11
86
David de la Cruz Melgarejo
Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM+9:40
87
Xabier Mikel Azparren Irurzun
Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM+9:40
88
Dylan Teuns
COFIDIS+10:56
89
Ilan van Wilder
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+10:56
90
Samuele Battistella
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+10:56
91
Harrison William Sweeny
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+10:56
92
Maximilian Schachmann
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+10:56
93
Geraint Thomas
INEOS GRENADIERS+10:56
94
Logan Currie
LOTTO+10:56
95
Anthony Delaplace
ARKEA-B&B HOTELS+10:56
96
Jakob Fuglsang
ISRAEL - PREMIER TECH+10:56
97
Raul Garcia Pierna
ARKEA-B&B HOTELS+10:56
98
Callum Scotson
DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM+10:56
99
Enric Mas Nicolau
MOVISTAR TEAM+10:56
100
Clément Champoussin
XDS ASTANA TEAM+10:56
101
Felix Grossschartner
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+10:56
102
Domen Novak
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+10:56
103
Hannes Wilksch
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+14:27
104
Marco Brenner
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+14:27
105
Yannis Voisard
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+14:27
106
Mathis le Berre
ARKEA-B&B HOTELS+14:27
107
Fabien Doubey
TOTALENERGIES+14:27
108
Julien Bernard
LIDL-TREK+14:27
109
Quentin Pacher
GROUPAMA-FDJ+14:27
110
Ceriel Desal
WAGNER BAZIN WB+16:17
111
Johan Meens
WAGNER BAZIN WB+16:19
112
Mathijs Paasschens
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+16:19
113
Tijmen Graat
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+16:19
114
Jonas Wilsly
LOTTO+16:19
115
Noa Isidore
DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM+16:19
116
Anders Halland Johannessen
UNO-X MOBILITY+16:19
117
Kasper Asgreen
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+16:45
118
Rémi Cavagna
GROUPAMA-FDJ+16:45
119
Tobias Bayer
ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK+16:47
120
Valentin Retailleau
TOTALENERGIES+16:47
121
Henri François Renard Haquin
WAGNER BAZIN WB+16:47
122
Paul Ourselin
COFIDIS+16:47
123
Marcel Camprubi Pijuan
Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM+16:47
124
Jonas Koch
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+16:47
125
Nickolas Zukowsky
Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM+16:47
126
Gal Glivar
ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK+16:47
127
Fabien Grellier
TOTALENERGIES+16:47
128
Simon Guglielmi
ARKEA-B&B HOTELS+16:47
129
Rayan Boulahoite
TOTALENERGIES+16:47

How La Redoute decided it

Before the race, Evenepoel had identified La Redoute as the point where the Monument would likely be settled. "Everybody knows La Redoute is usually where the race is decided," he said in pre-race comments to Cycling Pro Net. "I don't really see another scenario this year."

He wasn't wrong, either. However, he would not be the one doing the deciding. Pogačar was led out by his team at warp speed with gaps appearing everywhere before the world champion even launched his move. Evenepoel was dropped very early on the ascent despite good positioning. "They went really fast from the bottom and I could feel that if I would try to follow, I would completely blow up," he said.

The Olympic champion followed a pace he knew he could commit to and maintain on the climb while Pogačar and Seixas disappeared up the road. He then found his rhythm and started working to bring back Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) before going for the final podium spot in the sprint.

His sprint, much like when he won Amstel Gold Race, was very powerful and had the rest well beaten in the race for third. "I felt that I could lose the momentum if I would not launch, but I could hold it till the line," he said. "Third place was probably the maximum for me today, pretty good day overall for us, I think."

It is another bittersweet Monument for Evenepoel. He would've hoped that he could go wheel to wheel with Pogačar and Seixas on La Redoute but the world champion and new upcoming world beater, Seixas, were way ahead of everyone else on the road today.

Cover image credit: Billy Ceusters

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Tim Bonville-Ginn

Pro cycling contributor

Tim Bonville-Ginn is a freelance writer who has worked in cycling for well over a decade with his articles being featured across publications such as Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Cyclist, Rouleur, Eurosport, Road cc, Domestique, and more.

As well as writing, Tim has worked as a social media and press manager for professional teams Human Powered Health, Global 6, and Saint Piran across Europe as well as commentating on races such as the African Continental Championships, Tour de Feminin and multiple rounds of the British road and circuit series for Golazo and Monument Cycling.

Expertise:Racing