After racing through the first three intermediate time checks in the Tour de France's stage 7 in the fastest time, Remco Evenpole (Sourdal-Quick-Step) suffered bad luck in the final kilometers and was left without his first stage victory.

The time trial world champion got off to a fast start, following a plan to hold something back for the 25.3km Côte de Curtil-Vergy (1.6km, 6.1%) climb at the end of the stage.

In the last kilometer, to the cheers of fans along the roadside, Evenepoel raised his right hand and bounced his bike a few times to test the tires.

"I was pretty sure I had a flat tire, but maybe someone dropped a glass or hit a fence. I don't know, but it sounded just like a flat tire, so it kind of freaked me out.

"To be honest, yeah," said Evenpoel, when asked if he thought the dream was over.

"It was the same sound that you hear when you get a flat tire, when the tire explodes. So I thought it was over."

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A few hundred meters later, however, the Belgian guessed that he had misheard something from the large crowd, thankfully nothing was wrong.

"After about 200 meters I wasn't on the rim, so I started to realize that it was probably someone dropping a glass and that it was the noise of people along the road.

"It was a momentary distraction that would never normally happen. So I was a little shocked. I lost my rhythm and as a result I lost three or four seconds. At the last corner I wasn't confident anymore, but in the end I had to take the risk. Luckily I didn't miss the stage win."

"I was very lucky to win the stage," he said.

Although he lost a few seconds in the accident, Evenpoel set the fastest time to take the win and reduce the gap to overall leader Tadey Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates) to 33 seconds.

"To win by about 13 seconds in the end is great," Evenpoel said. 'It was a close race, especially in the Grand Tours because Taddeusi is so good in the TT. But of course, I just wanted to win today. I'm very proud."

The Belgian admitted that he was not thinking about the overall time difference in the Race of Truth, but only about his first stage win in cycling's biggest race.

"We just want to win a stage. It was a perfect day for me and the team and we let the other guys make up time.

The goal now is to focus on the overall podium and to make the most of the opportunity, as there are many races left until the time trial final in Nice.

"Taddei will be quite untouchable. I don't know what will happen, but I think as the race goes on and the better I get, the more I can focus on the podium. I think I have the legs for it. We just have to enjoy the Tour de France as we go along."

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