Vingegaard Inflicts Massive Blow on Pogacar in Tour de France Time Trial

 

Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard dealt a significant blow to his rival Tadej Pogacar in Tuesday's individual time trial, gaining a substantial time advantage and a psychological edge in their battle for the Tour de France title.

The Danish rider claimed victory in the 16th stage, completing the beautiful course with Mont Blanc making cameo appearances in the background in an impressive time of 32 minutes and 36 seconds. This performance allowed him to outpace the 2020 and 2021 Tour winner, Pogacar, by 1 minute and 38 seconds, extending his overall lead to 1 minute and 48 seconds.

Although Vingegaard was considered a slight favorite in the solo race against the clock, his performance was nothing short of astonishing. He maintained an average speed of 41.2kph, nearly 4kph faster than what the organizers had anticipated as the fastest expected time.

Speculations about a race decided by mere seconds came to an abrupt end when the young-looking Vingegaard dominated his rival over 22.4 kilometers, further separating themselves after being only 10 seconds apart with 2,600 kilometers into the race.

Jumbo-Visma sports director Grischa Niermann remarked, "I didn't see the numbers yet, but it was very fast and undoubtedly Jonas's best time trial ever, but we knew what he was capable of," confirming the team's awareness of his potential.

Vingegaard himself was surprised by his outstanding performance and stated, "I think it was one of my best days on the bike ever. At one point, I started doubting my power meter was broken. I believe today all the hard work paid off," during a news conference.

During the time trial, Vingegaard gained an early advantage, leading Pogacar by 16 seconds at the first checkpoint of 7.1km. He took calculated risks in the descending portions and approached the Cote de Domancy (2.5km at 9.4%) with a 31-second lead.

Pogacar attempted to close the gap by switching to a lighter road bike during the climb, but Vingegaard's performance remained unyielding. At certain points, Vingegaard even caught glimpses of Pogacar's team cars in the distance, despite starting two minutes later.

Reflecting on his efforts, Vingegaard revealed, "On the flat part between the climbs, I was holding back. I wanted to maintain 360 watts of power, but I ended up doing 380, then speeding up a bit during the climbs."

Pogacar, on the other hand, admitted that it wasn't his best day and expressed his determination to keep fighting. However, his facial expression told a different story, showing the impact of this setback, reminiscent of the reverse situation in the 2020 Tour when he overtook Primoz Roglic in the final time trial to secure victory.

With the substantial time gained, Vingegaard now holds a commanding lead, while Pogacar's UAE Emirates teammate Adam Yates has risen to third place overall, trailing Vingegaard by an impressive 8 minutes and 52 seconds. Spain's Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos-Grenadiers) follows closely behind, just five seconds behind Yates.