Vuelta a Espana: Adam Blythe suggests Remco Evenepoel playing mind games with Jumbo-Visma – ‘A very good actor’

Eurosport cycling expert Adam Blythe has called Remco Evenepoel a “very good actor” following Stage 8 of Vuelta a Espana.

The Belgian cut a frustrated figure at the stage conclusion and although Blythe can understand why, he feels Evenepoel may have been trying to play some mind games with his rivals at Jumbo-Visma.

Evenepoel had set the pace for the majority of the ascent but was pipped by Roglic on the final sprint for the line.

The defending champion is in sixth in general classification, 2’31” in arrears of leader Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma).

“I think he is a very good actor. Quite honestly, I think he’s a very good actor with this,” said Blythe on Eurosport’s The Breakaway.

“Yes, he might be annoyed but there was no aggression; he looked super calm after the stage. And I think that is alluring to Jumbo-Visma, being sort of like: ‘Oh god, I’m so angry that I didn’t get it because, you know, I really wanted it’.

“But I think that’s like playing into their hands a little bit in terms of, ‘you can beat him now, you can beat him now’.

“For me, he will be disappointed. But I think there’s a little bit of acting in there just because he knows that Jumbo-Visma are going to see that.

“You come second across the line to Primoz Roglic, yes, you’re going to be frustrated but he’s not lost any time, so, why is he that frustrated?”

Speaking to Eurosport, Evenepoel expressed his disappointment.

He said: “It’s just a shame because we miss out from a second stage win with the team in a very beautiful stage on my second home route, so it’s a bitter pill to swallow.”