The podium is there, the time bonuses too, but Remco Evenepoel leaves the second stage of the Tour de France with a touch of bitterness. The Belgian champion of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe finished third on the Barcelona finish line, behind Tadej Pogacar and winner Isaac Del Toro, yet convinced he had the legs to fight for victory. A result that nonetheless allows him to take a step forward in the general classification. Thanks to third place and the four seconds of bonuses earned, Evenepoel has overtaken yellow jersey wearer Jonas Vingegaard, reducing his deficit: he is now third, 15 seconds behind the Dane and just 9 from Pogacar.

Throughout the day the Belgian raced with great attention, never allowing himself to be caught off guard in decisive moments. At the end of the stage, his first comment was positive. «The stage went very well. I never had any problems and was always well positioned, both on the climb and in the final circuit.» The physical sensations were also encouraging. «On the climb I felt good and the result is positive too.»

Evenepoel's great regret concerns the final meters of the race. While Del Toro and Pogacar accelerated decisively before the last climb towards Montjuïc, the Belgian had chosen a different tactic, trying to exploit the last corner to gain speed and surprise his rivals. A choice that, this time, didn't work. «My idea was to create a small gap before the last corner, hoping they would slow down slightly so I could then launch with speed.»

But the plan fell apart immediately. «I immediately saw Del Toro and Pogacar accelerate hard. It was a bet: sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. This time it didn't work.» The regret grows when thinking about how close he came to the two UAE men. When asked if, simply staying on the wheel of his rivals, he could have won the stage, Evenepoel didn't hide his thoughts. «If the pace had dropped and I had managed to get back, maybe I would have won. If I had stayed on the wheel, maybe I would have won.»

Words that confirm how much the Belgian believes in his current form. «It was a tactic I had thought about a lap earlier. Unfortunately it didn't work. It's a shame to have come so close, because in the end I was practically attached to their wheel.»

If victory slipped away, the general classification nonetheless offers reasons for satisfaction. Evenepoel gained ground on Vingegaard thanks to the bonuses and remains fully in contention for the Tour. The deficit from the race leader is just 15 seconds, while that from Pogacar is only 9. Numbers that leave everything open when the Grande Boucle is still in its early stages.

The Olympic champion is already looking ahead, without dwelling too much on the regret. «Fortunately there are still nineteen stages to try something different.» A sentence that perfectly sums up the spirit with which Evenepoel is approaching this Tour de France. The Barcelona victory slipped away due to a tactical choice that he himself defines as a bet. But the legs are there, the condition is there too, and the classification remains extremely tight. Victory went to Isaac Del Toro, masterfully protected by Pogacar. Evenepoel, meanwhile, takes home a podium, a few seconds gained on Vingegaard and above all the conviction that he can compete on equal terms with the best. In a Tour that has just begun, this could be the most important news for the Belgian champion.