Kévin Vauquelin’s Swiss journey ended on a sour note. The 24-year-old Frenchman, who led the overall standings going into the final time-trial stage, couldn’t hold off João Almeida. The Portuguese rider dominated the stage and took the overall win.
Vauquelin secured a respectable second place in the general classification. He reflected on his team’s financial struggles. “I’m clearly disappointed,” he said. “My legs felt odd today. Too many emotions in a short time, I guess. I tried my best, but I lacked that extra bit of courage I had yesterday.”
He admitted to missing the motivation that usually comes with individual time trials. “In a normal time trial, speed motivates us. But in a climb, it’s different. I felt like I was missing power.” Vauquelin even thought he might drop out of the top three.
When asked about the challenges, he got honest. “Let’s be real. Facing teams like UAE Emirates is a different story. João Almeida has resources I don’t. We didn’t even have a chef this week. We had limited resources because of our financial situation.” He hopes this result will attract new sponsors to help his team, Arkéa-B&B Hotels, compete with the big-budget teams.