The descent of the Col de Galibier exposed Remco Evenpoel's Achilles heel in the Tour de France, but the Belgian showed his He showed his fighting spirit.

"It's always nice to finish second behind the best in the world," said Evenpoel, who once again wore the white best young jersey in Valloire.

"Taddei's attack at 2,600m was very strong. I tried to stay with him, but he was still a little bit above my level. If I could have made it to the finish alone, it would have been my best of the day, but this gave me a lot of confidence."

If Jonas Vingegaard cracks or falters as he tries to compete with Pogachar, Evenpole may become his biggest rival.

The Belgian earned an 8-second bonus for finishing second and an additional 2-second bonus on the summit of the Galibier to pass Vingegaard and move into second place overall, 45 seconds behind Pogachar. He will no doubt be looking to shorten his rivals' times in Friday's 25.3-km time trial.

"I'm still aiming for a top-five finish, but the closer I get to the podium, the more I have to aim for it. I'm aiming for a stage win and then we'll see the classification," Evenpoel said.

Evenepoel rode most of the Galibier with Mikel Landa, and the Sudark Quick-Step looked like a step up as a Grand Tour team. They looked calm and in control on the climbs of the Galibier, but their biggest problem seemed to be on the descents.

"I tried to go as fast as I could on the last part of the Galibier because I knew there was a bonus at the top. Then I went down as fast as I could, but the icy water was a bit scary," he admitted.

Evenepoel was referring to some points in the first half of the descent where melt water ran down the road. Pogachar was cautious, but Evenpoel was especially cautious.

He started the descent in third place, but was passed by Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers), Primos Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates). In addition, at the end of the 18 km downhill, he lost a wheel and had to fight to get back up.

"It was fast, technical, and a bit scary. The asphalt was bumpy, reminiscent of the Basque Country, and I didn't feel 100% comfortable," he admitted, referring to the terrible crash at Iturria Basque, where he, Vingegaard, Roglic, and others crashed at speed.

"I slipped a couple of times and that doesn't help my confidence. I slipped a couple of times and it doesn't help my confidence. 'I hope it doesn't go downhill from here. Right now I'm already focused on the time trial on Friday."

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