Lemco Evenpoel is quickly losing rivals in this Vuelta a España. The question now is not so much who, but what, can prevent Evenpoel from winning in Madrid.

Crashes, coronaviruses, and carols are the obvious occupational diseases of this race, and all three were in evidence on stage 11, which brought the sweltering southward road from the El Pozo meat factory in Murcia to the rugged headlands of Cabo de Gato on the Andalusian coast to the peloton.

The Vuelta had been going well for Evenepoel so far, but the first real setback came when his Quick-Step-Alfa Vinyl teammate Julien Alaphilippe crashed on a left curve 64km from the finish. Even though Evenapoel was a few steps ahead of Alaphilippe and avoided crashing, the crash left the world champion with a suspected broken collarbone.

"I was running in front of him and I don't know anything about what happened. 'It's definitely a big loss for the team and very disappointing, especially on such a quiet stage. I hope he is well and not suffering too much."

Due to illness and injury, Alaphilippe had a stellar second season in the rainbow jersey, but he served Evenpoel well and seemed to be gaining momentum in this Vuelta, with impressive cameos last week in Pico Janot, Colau Funkuaya, and Les Preles before the summit finish. He appeared to be gaining momentum in this Vuelta.

While Evenpoel can still count on Ilan Van Wilder, Fausto Masnada, and Louis Verweke on the climbs, Alaphilippe's loss is significant. With Pieter Serry leaving the race on Sunday at COVID-19, his support role is down to five.

"It was definitely a less beautiful day than I expected," Evenpoel said in a television interview after the awards ceremony. If the bike race did not go well, a career as a spin doctor awaited him. Half an hour later, speaking to the press, Evenpoel described the loss of Alaphilippe in slightly more subdued terms.

"It should have been a nice, quiet day for us, but it turned out to be pretty bad. But I'm not going to lose focus over it."

"But I'm not going to lose focus over it. But I'm not going to lose focus over it.

On another note, of course, Evenepoel would be happy to stay negative. Simon Yates (Bike Exchange Jayco) and Pavel Sivakov (Ineos) have left the race. The coronavirus has now forced 21 riders to abandon the Vuelta.

Before the start, Evenpoel asked the Vuelta to limit the crowds at the stage finish, but as expected, the race organization responded only by imposing greater restrictions on journalists covering the race. On Wednesday evening, Evenpoel outlined the measures the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team is taking to maintain the bubble.

"In the Grand Tours it is normal to have family visit on rest days, but we have forbidden that. 'On the bus, off the bus, in the middle of a massage, we wear masks and sanitize our hands very nicely. The only time we don't wear masks is when the starting whistle blows and when we eat. If I want to eat something, I might as well not wear a mask."

After opening the Vuelta in the cooler climes of the Netherlands and northwest Spain, the peloton has encountered sweltering heat since moving south for a second day of rest. Temperatures will continue to rise on Thursday afternoon as the peloton heads to the summit finish of stage 12 in Peñas Blancas.

Andalusia is a far cry in every way from Evenepoel's hometown of Shepdal. To prepare for this Vuelta, he chose to move from the plains west of Brussels to the Costa Blanca in August.

"I think the heat is different for everyone. Some riders are used to the heat, others are not. That's why I didn't want to race before the Vuelta." I did a long training camp around Denia and Calpe.

"It was very hot, very humid, and there were some steep climbs, so dealing with the heat was the hardest part. But with this heat, I think it will be an advantage not to have steep climbs for the next few weeks."