Remco Evenepoel time trial dominance delivered stage 16 victory at the Tour de France, as the world champion beat Tadej Pogačar by 28 seconds over 26km.
The Belgian stopped the clock in 32:19 for his second stage win of the race. Pogačar finished second on the day and kept the yellow jersey.
Evenepoel’s ride cut his overall deficit to 4:32. He remains second on general classification behind the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader.
The win carried mixed emotions for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. Evenepoel said the day felt bitter sweet after teammate Florian Lipowitz crashed out in the closing kilometres. Lipowitz had started the stage fifth overall.
Evenepoel also marked Belgium national day with a victory in his rainbow time trial skinsuit. His family, including his parents, wife and in-laws, were at the race.
He said it was special to win on the national day, adding that it had been some time since a Belgian achieved that.
Evenepoel also thanked Specialized for new time trial material. He said his form had improved after a first week spent regaining race rhythm.
Asked whether he could now challenge Pogačar for the Tour title, Evenepoel played down the prospect. He said he was focused on his own position and called racing near Pogačar a big step forward.
Evenepoel also said the toughest stages come at the end of the Tour. He credited his coach and performance staff for trusting his progression.
Evenepoel time trial benchmark proves unreachable
Josh Tarling set the early target with a 34:21 ride for Netcompany INEOS. That time stood long enough to underline his strength against more experienced specialists.
Huub Artz had an anxious moment on a descent. The Lotto-Intermarché rider braked to avoid the Astana-XDS team car, then still posted the second-fastest time at that stage.
Filippo Ganna later came within four seconds of Tarling. The Italian said he was pleased for his teammate, who started the Tour after an injury following the Dauphiné.
Bruno Armirail then challenged the lead for Visma-Lease a Bike. He was six seconds up entering the final two kilometres and finished in 34:14.
The effort left Armirail close to vomiting after the line. Mattia Cattaneo then lowered the best time again, reaching the finish in 34:01.
Thymen Arensman suffered a costly start-line problem. The Dutchman missed his appointed start and rolled up around 10 seconds late, shaking his head.
The commissaire made Arensman pause before he began. He later finished only four seconds behind Cattaneo’s time.
Mattias Skjelmose then changed the shape of the standings. The Lidl-Trek rider passed the second checkpoint 27 seconds faster than anyone before him.
Evenepoel soon made that benchmark look fragile. He reached the first checkpoint 21 seconds faster than the rest of the field.
Pogačar was six seconds slower at that point. By the second split, Evenepoel was 55 seconds ahead of Skjelmose, while Pogačar trailed the Belgian by 14 seconds.
The stage battle became a duel between the top two riders overall. Evenepoel finished first, and Pogačar’s strong ride secured second place at 28 seconds.
The white jersey contenders also produced a close contest. Isaac del Toro and Paul Seixas were level at the second time check, before Seixas finished five seconds faster.
Tour de France stage 16 top five
- 1. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), 32:19
- 2. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), +28s
- 3. Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), +1:04
- 4. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM), +1:16
- 5. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), +1:21
General classification after stage 16
- 1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), 56:14:18
- 2. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), +4:32
- 3. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), +6:51
- 4. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM), +7:11
- 5. Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek), +9:22