What happened to Remco Evenepoel? Discover how the Belgian cycling star went from Tour de France podium hopeful to a sudden withdrawal in the Pyrenees.

BAGNERES-DE-LUCHON, France, July 19 (Reuters) - Belgian Remco Evenepoel abandoned the Tour de France on Saturday during the 14th stage, a 182.6-km mountain trek from Pau to Superbagneres.

Remco Evenepoel’s withdrawal from the Tour de France has easily been the most talked-about moment of the race’s second week. On the way to Superbagnères, he just couldn’t continue, and the Belgian had to say goodbye to the Tour while still wearing the white jersey.

Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quickstep) opened up on his departure from the Tour de France, which shocked the Tour de France on the slopes of the Col du Tourmalet on Saturday. “It just wasn’t working, I was empty," Evenepoel told Dutch and Flemish journalists, including Nieuwsblad.

Evenepoel will be looking over his shoulder if he hopes to match his breakout 2024 debut: 'I hope I can get myself together for tomorrow.'

Evenepoel, the reigning time trial Olympic and world champion, was expected to win the stage in the absence of time trial specialists — Filippo Ganna and Stefan Bissegger, who both crashed and exited the race on the first day of the Tour last week.

Soudal-QuickStep came to this race to try and target the GC with 2024 podium finisher Evenepoel and stage wins with sprinter Tim Merlier, but have lost the first part of that ambition now, with vanishingly few sprint stages left either.

Belgian Remco Evenepoel claimed his maiden victory on the Tour de France when he prevailed on the seventh stage, a 25.3-km individual time trial from Nuits-Saint-Georges on Friday.

Tour de France jersey standings after Stage 7 Yellow ( general classification ) : Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) Green ( points classification ): Biniam Girmay (Intermarché - Wanty)

The Tour de France ended on a sour note for Remco Evenepoel. The Belgian from Soudal Quick-Step abandoned during stage fourteen, bringing his Tour to a painful close. While former riders and analysts had already criticized his decision to quit,