More than 50 km/h on average and without a time trial bike: Evenepoel flies in a time trial marked by the wind

The individual time trial of the second stage of the 2026 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, held between Carlet and Alginet over a distance of 17.5 kilometers, was affected from start to finish by adverse weather conditions. The gusty and changing wind forced the organization to make the exceptional decision to hold the stage without time trial bikes and without the times counting towards the general classification.

Remco Evenepoel triumphs in the Carlet-Alginet time trial, marked by strong winds

After a meeting between the race management, the UCI representative, the teams, and the riders themselves, it was also agreed that the time trial would be tackled with conventional bikes, discarding the specific time trial bikes for safety reasons.

In that context, Remco Evenepoel was the fastest on the Valencian asphalt. The current world champion clocked a time of 20 minutes and 12 seconds (50.495 km/h), demonstrating his commitment to the event despite the result not impacting the general classification. The Belgian from Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe had already set the best references at the intermediate point and maintained a steady pace until the finish, on a course that was not completely flat and included technical sections, especially in the descent.

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Evenepoel acknowledged after the stage that the team had prepared for the time trial like any other, both in terms of warming up and nutrition, and emphasized that, although the conditions were not ideal for a time trial, he considered it important to compete and respect the work of the organization.

Since the times did not count, the general classification did not change. Biniam Girmay retains the yellow jersey after his sprint victory on the opening day, maintaining a 9-second lead over Evenepoel. This situation keeps the race script completely open and prevents the Belgian from starting with a lead that many considered certain after the time trial.

Moreover, the situation adds an additional tactical element, as Aleksandr Vlasov, second in the stage and Evenepoel's teammate, remains a name to watch in the fight for the general classification, as he has already demonstrated in previous editions of the Valencian round.

Stage Classification (CRI Carlet – Alginet, 17.5 km)

1. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe) – 20:12
2. Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe) – at 8”
3. Mathias Vacek (Lidl–Trek) – at 16”
4. Ben Turner (INEOS Grenadiers) – at 21”
5. Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) – at 30”

This Friday, the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana GP Banc Sabadell faces its third day with a route of 158 kilometers between Orihuela and Sant Vicent del Raspeig. A course divided into two parts, with a very favorable start for breaks and a more demanding finish, marked by the ascents to Tibi and Xixona. Although the terrain may open up the race, a new sprint finish is not ruled out, where every second – including bonuses – can be decisive.