Evenepoel wins Tour de France time trial, cuts into Pogacar's lead
Remco Evenepoel, the time trial world champion, won the 16th stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday, reducing Tadej Pogacar's overall lead by 28 seconds. The Belgian rider completed the 26.1-kilometre individual time trial in 32 minutes and 19 seconds, finishing more than a minute ahead of the previous best time set by Mattias Skjelmose.
Evenepoel's victory came after Pogacar, the race leader, posted the second-fastest time of the day. The stage, which started in Évian-les-Bains beside Lake Geneva, featured a 16.4-kilometre climb up the category 2 Côte de Larringes, followed by a technical descent and a straight road into Thonon-les-Bains.
This was Evenepoel's second consecutive stage win, following his victory on Sunday in the 15th stage. Monday was a rest day for the peloton. However, the win was tempered by the crash of his Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe teammate Florian Lipowitz, who slid on a sharp bend near the finish and hit the kerb, suffering a suspected shoulder injury. Lipowitz was unable to continue.
"It's a bittersweet pill with this victory. I wish him all the best," Evenepoel said. "I will really miss him for the whole week." Pogacar also had a wobble at the same corner but managed to recover and continue.
Tuesday's stage was the only individual time trial of this year's Tour de France. The race concludes in Paris on July 26.
