Tour de France - Evenepoel faster than Pogacar - Vingegaard loses time
Between the vineyards of Burgundy, Tadej Pogacar delivered an exciting duel with World Champion Remco Evenepoel and dealt another blow to his main rival Jonas Vingegaard. Pogacar came in second on the 25.3 kilometer long time trial course from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin in the seventh stage of the Tour de France, but extended his lead over title defender Vingegaard.
Vingegaard finished fourth with a 37 second deficit to Evenepoel and fell further behind in the fight for his third Tour de France victory in a row. Pogacar now leads the general classification by 33 seconds over Evenepoel, who appears to have no chance against the Slovenian exception in the mountains. Vingegaard is 1:15 minutes behind in third place.
Primoz Roglic of the German Red Bull team also lost time, although less than expected. The Giro d'Italia winner of 2023 was 34 seconds slower than Evenepoel and already has a deficit of 1:36 minutes to his countryman Pogacar in the general classification. The dream of a Tour victory remains unfulfilled for Roglic.
Pogacar takes revenge for Tour humiliation in 2023
Pogacar has taken revenge for 2023, moving closer to the first double of the Giro d'Italia and Tour since Marco Pantani 26 years ago. Already at his climbing show on Tuesday at the Alpine giant Col du Galibier, the Slovenian showed off his extra class and left Vingegaard and Co. in the dust.
The previous year, Pogacar suffered a disappointing loss in the Tour time trial to Vingegaard. A 1:38 minute deficit on just 22.4 kilometers was a demoralizing defeat that left a mark on the superstar. "The time trial in Combloux was a moment where I mentally broke down," Pogacar admitted.
This time it was different. After the only climb of the day at the Cote de Curtil-Vergy at kilometer 14.4, Pogacar was already 13 seconds ahead of Vingegaard, who this year only completed three smaller time trials due to his heavy crash at the Baskenland-Rundfahrt. In contrast, Pogacar prepared for everything and optimized his helmet, material, and seating position - apparently with great success.
Evenepoel was the only one to go even faster than Pogacar, despite a last-minute mechanical problem. The World Champion in the battle against the clock had explicitly prepared for this test, repeatedly inspected the course. In the end, the 24-year-old was rewarded with the first stage win of the Tour. However, he had a small disadvantage: his white jersey as best young rider was less aerodynamic than his specifically designed World Championship jersey.
German cyclists have no chance
And the Germans? Of the eight cyclists, time trial champion Nils Politt finished best in 29th place. "As the German champion, one wants to present oneself. The legs were good," Politt said. However, Germany has not had a specialist in this discipline since Tony Martin retired three years ago.
On Saturday, the escapees can hope for their chances. On the eighth stage over 183.4 kilometers between Semur-en-Auxois and Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, there are two climbs of the third category and three mountains of the fourth category to be faced. However, the sprinter teams make things serious in the last third of the stage, it could also lead to a mass sprint finish again.
- Remco Evenepoel, the World Champion in individual time trials, prepared meticulously for the challenge in France.
- Tadej Pogacar, on the other hand, showcased his time trial skills in the Wine field of Burgundy, aiming to outperform Evenepoel.
- In the Red Bull-sponsored team, Primoz Roglic also participated in the Individual time trial, aiming to reduce his deficit against his countryman Pogacar.
- The UCI WorldTour stage in France saw a display of strength from top International cycling stars, including Evenepoel, Pogacar, and Roglic.
- Evenepoel faced a mechanical issue during the time trial, but managed to deliver a strong performance, finishing ahead of Pogacar in terms of speed.
- Despite the setback, Pogacar maintained his composure and utilized his time trial skills, ultimately securing a significant advantage over Evenepoel in the General classification.
- The Individual time trial in France marked a significant turn of events in the Tour de France, with Pogacar extending his lead and taking a major step towards defending his Tour de France title.
- Other stars like Jonas Vingegaard and Roglic also participated in the time trial, but failed to make significant gains, leaving Pogacar in a commanding position as the Tour de France enters its later stages.
