"I can't compare myself now to where I was then in the 2021 Giro d'Italia," Remco Evenpoel said during a video call press conference on Monday, the second rest day of the Vuelta a España.

At the time, everything started out well, with second place overall at the midpoint of the race. Then he lost time on the gravelly stage to Montalcino, dropped out of contention, and crashed out of the race on stage 17 of his Grand Tour debut. His debut was a "voyage in the dark" and proved to be difficult.

Fifteen months later, 40 journalists were watching his every word, and the red jersey of the Vuelta a España hung on his hotel wall.

Evenpoel is the talk of the Vuelta after repeatedly dominating the mountain races. He is 1:12 behind Enric Mas and 1:53 ahead of defending champion Primoš Roglic in third place.

"Coming into the time trial in first place is the best way to get a rest day," said Mass. But this is better than being two or three minutes late."

Before the race started in Utrecht, the Belgian boy wonder had his sights set on a stage win and a top-10 GC finish: "I won't change my goal. In my opinion, it's my first Grand Tour and ...... I haven't won a stage yet, so that's my main goal."

He may say that, but even his closest rival, Enric Mas, calls him the strongest in the race. The overall Vuelta title is his. Evenpoel pulled away from his rivals this week with mountain finishes at Pico Janot and Les Prelaces. Will he have a similar run?

"I asked for a turn, but if they didn't want to move ...... Enric and I asked for a turn. I was advised from inside the team to stay calm and do my thing, even if they didn't want to move. I did that for the first mountain stage."

Evenpoel, who still hasn't shown his full strength on the grueling gradients, said the Vuelta's changeable conditions and racing took a toll on him as well. It was a really hard week," he said. The weather in northern Spain is really strange, some days it's cold, some days it's quite warm and humid, and it's really difficult to manage it."

He also looked ahead to stage 15, which finishes in the Sierra Nevada at 2,512 meters elevation. Evenpoel, like most of his rivals, knows the route well. The Sierra climb [at the end] is not the hardest," he said.

"But I've been training for it all July and early August. I slept around 2,300 meters in Livigno and a little higher than that in Sinclosfera [a hotel offering rooms at higher elevations]. I won't tell you the numbers," he smiled. Training at high altitude works for me. But Sunday is still a ways away, so we'll see.

The captain of Quick-Step Alphavinil spoke of the hard work and preparation he has done for the Vuelta. He said, "It's all about hot temperatures, hard hills, and abusing the trainers.

"You have to get used to sitting on the bike with the front wheel almost on your nose," he said. Alicante is known for its steep climbs like Cumbre del Sol and Miserato.

"There were days when I really hated myself and my coach. But in the end it paid off. I've worked really hard for this Vuelta and it's not over yet, but if you believe in yourself and don't give up easily, I'm sure it will pay off."

Tuesday, 30. The 9km time trial from Elche to Alicante is a chance to extend his lead on a course that Evenpoel knows well from training. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow," he said. It's completely flat, with more downhill than uphill. 'There's only one kilometer of climbing in the last three kilometers, because after a full 30 minutes on the gas I'm already full of lactic acid.

As Evenpoel rides the upswing deeper into this race, the challenge for Quick-Step Alphavinil intensifies. Quick-Step Alphavinir has never won a Grand Tour with its current structure.

"It's a new thing for us, a new expedition," Evenpoel said. He ended the press conference with a tribute to his teammates.

"You can see how they rode in the last two days, in the real mountain stages. I think the Wolfpack were better known for racing the classics, but what they showed this weekend was really special."

Road captain Dries Devenyns and world champion Julien Alaphilippe, who helped him during the race, paid special tribute. 'If you see how Julien handles it, like on the last descent yesterday [of stage 9], it's like sitting on the couch behind him. 'You just follow him and you know everything is going to be fine. I haven't seen many world champions do what he does."

"They all know that they are super important to me off and on the bike. I think they are a really special team. I think on the last climb, with Ineos [Grenadiers], I think we're the team with the most people on the last climb. If you look at the final on Saturday [stage 8], there were four of us there, including me."

Fans may be getting used to the sight of Evenpoel wearing the leader's maillot rojo, but he himself is no stranger to it: "I wouldn't say I'm emotional, but I feel pride. To wear the leader's jersey in a Grand Tour is something that is deserved and should be won."

"It's a great feeling.

"As for seeing it in a hotel room, hopefully I can do that at home in a few weeks, but until then it's still a very long way."