Vuelta a España’s stage 16 was not short of drama. Primoz Roglic met a tragic crash just 2.5 km behind the finish line. Quick Step-AlphaVinyl’s rider Remco Evenepoel was also tangled up in his own mess. The rider suffered from a puncture, luckily it was inside the final 3 km.
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Evenepoel was awarded the same closing time of + 08 due to the “Three-kilometer rule.” The kilometer rule states that any rider who suffers from a crash, a mechanical fault, or a puncture will be awarded the same closing time as the riders they were with at the time of the incident.
Rumors were being speculated that the puncture might not have happened and that it was staged, but Evenepoel was quick to address the issue. he cleared the air by saying:
Nobody can say anything. I’m not a guy who is going to fake such things
The fact that Rogilic was awarded the same time as Evenepoel did not sit well with many people, but Evenepoel expressed concerns over the well-being of his rival:
I spoke with him in the dressing rooms and asked if he was OK. I think he was groggy and was going to the hospital
The bad luck for Remco may finally be coming to an end since the rider met the puncture incident inside the final 3 km. Had he been outside the said kilometers, his position would have been greatly affected. At the start, he was not sure about the rule which made him panic, but he was soon assured that his position would not be suffering. He told the media:
I wasn’t sure if there was the 3km rule. But in the end, Klaas [Lodewyck, sports director] told me over the radio that there was, so that reassured me and calmed me a little bit
Remco Evenepoel is an outstanding performer and he has proved his abilities at the Vuelta a España. At just 22 years of age, the rider has achieved 2 Grand Tour wins along with 34 GC wins. His UCI World ranking is 5 while his PCS ranking is 4. The rider will also be representing Belgium alongside Wout Van Aert at the upcoming 2022 UCI Road World Championship.
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His team is also in the safe zone at the 2020-2022 Team World Rankings. Quick-Step AlphaVinyl has secured 32247 points and is sitting at the 3rd spot.
Also Read: Primoz Rogilic Opts Out Of Vuelta a Espana Ahead Of Stage 17
Featured Image Via YouTube/ Jose Cycling
