Giro d’Italia was Remco Evenepoel’s ‘first defeat,’ says Patrick Lefevere

Evenepoel went into the Giro as one of the favourites despite a lack of racing due to injury

Remco Evenepoel
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Giro d’Italia 2021 was Remco Evenepoel’s first real defeat, according to his team boss Patrick Lefevere.

Deceuninck - Quick-Step’s rising star Evenepoel went into this year’s Giro as one of the pre-race favourites, despite not having raced for nine months due to the serious injuries he suffered in a crash at Il Lombardia 2020.

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Alex Ballinger

Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.  Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.