Evenepoel crowned champion at Vuelta San Juan

Vuelta San Juan, 26 Jan – 2 Feb 2020

20 year old prodigy Remco Evenepoel ended a week long party to celebrate his birthday with a nice addition to his rapidly growing palmares, which before the start of the season counted five victories, including Clasica San Sebastian and the European ITT Championship.

The Deceuninck – Quick-Step rider, who ended his teenage years on the eve of the race enjoyed a quiet Sunday in the peloton and became the youngest rider in history to seal the win in the general classification of the Vuelta a San Juan, where he also captured a stage and the best young rider’s jersey

Overall, it wasn’t quite a straightforward week for the Belgian who made his pro debut at the same event just a year ago. He had to overcome a crash late on the opening leg and a scare in the echelons on the queen stage, but with the help of a strong team effort and driven by a huge ambition, he assumed the race lead after a winning ride in the ITT on Stage 3 proving his credentials as one of the best time trialists in the world.

While the GC went to Deceuninck-Quick Step the final stage went to Fernando Gavira who finished with a hattrick of stage wins, with Peter Sagan (BORA – hansgrohe) second and Álvaro José Hodeg (Deceuninck – Quick Step) third.

Gaviria : “Today was a short fast stage. Bohli controlled the breakaway from the beginning, as he has done all week. Then the lead-out train came together well in the end and I had really good legs for the sprint so it was the perfect way to finish the week. To start the season like this is great for the team motivation and we hope to continue this way.”

Stage	Stage Winner	GC Leader
Stage 1 – San Juan › San Juan	BARBIER Rudy	BARBIER Rudy
Stage 2 – Pocito › Pocito	GAVIRIA Fernando	GAVIRIA Fernando
Stage 3 (ITT) – Ullum › Punta Negra	EVENEPOEL Remco	EVENEPOEL Remco
Stage 4 – San José de Jáchal › Villa San Agustín	GAVIRIA Fernando	EVENEPOEL Remco
Stage 5 – San Martín › Alto Colorado	FLÓREZ Miguel Eduardo	EVENEPOEL Remco
Stage 6 – Autódromo El Villicúm › Autódromo El Villicúm	ŠTYBAR Zdeněk	EVENEPOEL Remco
Stage 7 – San Juan › San Juan	GAVIRIA Fernando	EVENEPOEL Remco

REMCO EVENEPOEL (Deceuninck-Quick Step): “First and foremost, I want to thank the entire team, it was a great week and with their help I could have this perfect start to the season, which serves as a big confidence boost. I am proud to win this race and be the youngest rider to sew up the general classification at the Vuelta a San Juan. It’s an amazing place, with superb fans, and it’s always a pleasure to be here, that’s why I hope to return in the future”, a beyond excited Evenepoel said at the press conference.

Official Race Website here