Only Evenepoel faster than Pogacar in the time trial

Between the vineyards of Burgundy, cycling star Tadej Pogacar had a thrilling duel with world champion Remco Evenepoel and dealt his great rival Jonas Vingegaard the next blow.

July 05, 2024

From: dpa

Pogacar missed out on victory on the seventh stage of the Tour de France, finishing 25,3 seconds behind the young Belgian star on the 37-kilometer time trial course from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin, but he extended his lead over defending champion Vingegaard. The Dane finished fourth, 33 seconds behind Evenepoel, and is now falling further behind in the battle for his third Tour triumph in a row. Pogacar is now 1 seconds ahead of Evenepoel in the overall rankings, although he appears to have no chance against the exceptional Slovenian talent in the high mountains. Vingegaard is 15:XNUMX minutes behind in third place.

Primoz Roglic from the Red Bull team also lost time, although less than feared. The 2023 Giro winner was 34 seconds slower than Evenepoel in third place and is already 1:36 minutes behind his compatriot Pogacar in the overall standings. The dream of winning the Tour will probably remain an unfulfilled one for Roglic.

Pogacar takes revenge

Meanwhile, Pogacar has managed to get his revenge for 2023, and the first Giro d'Italia and Tour double since Marco Pantani 26 years ago is getting closer. The Slovenian had already shown his extra class at his climbing gala on Tuesday to the Alpine giant Col du Galibier and outwitted Vingegaard and co.

Tadej Pogacar showed a strong performance. © APA/afp / THOMAS SAMSON

Last year, Pogacar suffered a painful defeat against Vingegaard in the Tour time trial. A deficit of 1:38 minutes over just 22,4 kilometers was a humiliation that left its mark on the superstar. "The time trial in Combloux was a moment when I broke down mentally," admitted Pogacar.

Pogacar already ahead of Vingegaard at half-time

This time things went differently. After the only climb of the day on the Côte de Curtil-Vergy at kilometer 14,4, Pogacar was already 13 seconds ahead of Vingegaard, who only completed three smaller time trials this year due to his serious fall in the Tour of the Basque Country. Pogacar, on the other hand, was completely different, putting everything to the test after 2023 and optimizing his helmet, material and seating position - apparently with great success.

Jonas Vingegaard lost time. © APA/afp / GUILLAUME HORCAJUELO

Only Evenepoel flew faster over the course, despite a short-term mechanical problem. The world champion in the fight against the clock had prepared specifically for this test and inspected the course several times. In the end, the 24-year-old was rewarded with the first stage win of the Tour. He had one small disadvantage: his white jersey as the best young professional was less aerodynamic than his specially designed World Cup kit.

On Saturday, the breakaway riders can hope for their chances. On the eighth stage over 183,4 kilometers between Semur-en-Auxois and Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, two climbs of the third category and three mountains of the fourth category have to be mastered. If the sprinter teams get serious in the last third of the stage, however, there could be another mass finish.