Defending champion Remco Evenepoel took a stunning solo victory on stage 14 in the Pyrenees, a day after falling out of contention at the Vuelta a España.
The Belgian finished third overall but broke early on Friday’s epic stage 13 and saw his hopes of the red jersey vanish.
However, after launching a long-range attack from a breakaway with Romain Bardet, he dropped the Frenchman late in the stage and won by more than a minute.
“Yesterday was a very difficult day,” an emotional Evenpoel told Eurosport.
“I couldn’t sleep that much. I had a very bad night, a lot of negative thoughts in my head.”
In stage 13, the Soudal Quick-Step rider was dropped at the Col d’Aubisque with around 90km to go, finishing more than 27 minutes behind stage winner Jonas Vingegaard, who defended his Tour de France title earlier this summer.
“Today I woke up and said to myself: ‘just go for it, make the best of it’,” added the 23-year-old Evenepoel.
“It was a super tough stage. I did a reconnaissance of it and I knew perfectly what the climbs were like, how tough they were. Just super nice to get a second stage win. I think I can be very proud after yesterday. “
Race leader Sepp Kuss and his Jumbo Visma teammates Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard, second and third in the general classification, finished the mountain stage from Sauveterre-de-Bearn to the Spanish border at Larra-Belagua in a group of more than eight minutes adrift of Evenepoel.
American Kuss has a lead of one minute and 37 over Roglic when the riders return on Sunday for the 158.5km route of stage 15 between Pamplona and Lekunberri, which includes a 19.3km category three climb to Puerto de Lizarraga.
Stage 14 results
1. Remco Evenepoel (Bel/Soudal Quick-Step) 4 hours 13 minutes 38 seconds
2. Romain Bardet (Fra/Team DSM-Firmenich) +1min 12secs
3. Lennert van Eetvelt (Bel/Lotto Dstny) +6mins 33secs
4. Jonathan Castroviejo (Spa/Ineos Grenadiers) +6 minutes 35 seconds
5. Michael Storer (Aus/Groupama FDJ) +7 minutes 24 seconds
6. David de la Cruz (Spa/Astana Qazaqstan team) +8 minutes 21 seconds
7. Aleksander Vlasov (Rus/Bora-Hansgrohe) +8 minutes 22 seconds
8. Sepp Kuss (USA/Jumbo-Visma) Same time
9. Wout Poels (victor Ned/Bahrain)
10. Juan Ayuso (Spa/UAE team Emirates)
General classification after stage 14
1. Sepp Kuss (USA/Jumbo-Visma) 51 hours 4 minutes 54 seconds
2. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Jumbo-Visma) +1min 37sec
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) +1min 44sec
4. Juan Ayuso (Spa/UAE Team Emirates) +2 minutes and 37 seconds
5. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar team) +3 minutes 6 seconds
6. Marc Soler (Spa/UAE Team Emirates) +3 minutes 10 seconds
7. Mikel Landa (victor Spa/Bahrain) +4 minutes 12 seconds
8. Aleksander Vlasov (Rus/Bora-Hansgrohe) +5 minutes 2 seconds
9. Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bel/Bora-Hansgrohe) +5min. 30 sec.
10. Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates) +8 minutes 39 sec
