THONON-LES-BAINS, France — Time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel was fastest Tuesday as he won the 16th stage of the Tour de France to shave 28 seconds off Tadej Pogačar’s commanding lead.
Evenepoel completed the 26.1-kilometer individual time trial in 32 minutes, 19 seconds, more than a minute faster than Mattias Skjelmose, the previous quickest, before the Belgian rider waited to see Pogačar cross the line with the second-best effort of the day.
It is the third year straight that Evenepoel has won a time trial at the Tour. His parents and family members were present on Belgium’s national holiday to see him take back-to-back stage victories after winning the 15th stage on Sunday. Monday was a rest day.
His teammate Florian Lipowitz crashed out, however. The German rider slipped going around a sharp bend toward the finish and slid across the road into the sidewalk kerb. He was unable to continue with what looked like a shoulder injury.
“It’s a bittersweet pill to swallow with this victory. I wish him all the best and I hope he’s not too bad,” Evenepoel said of his Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe teammate. “I will really miss him for the whole week.”
Pogačar survives scare
Pogačar had a wobble going around the same corner where Lipowitz crashed but recovered to continue.
The four-time Tour champion leads second-place Evenepoel by 4 minutes, 32 seconds with five stages remaining.
“Tadej is on his way to win a fifth Tour de France,” Evenepoel said of a feat that would move the Slovenian rider level with Belgium’s Eddy Merckx, Spain’s Miguel Indurain and French riders Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault.
“I think it’s just amazing that I can be a bit close to him,” he said of Pogačar. “It’s an honor to race with him … so, for me, it’s a big step forward that I can at least be a bit around him and I try to learn from him.”
Doping controls become issue
Pogačar’s main rival Jonas Vingegaard crashed out on Sunday after the leading two riders had been woken for early-morning doping controls.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe riders had doping controls on Monday, but their sleep was not interrupted.
Worries about Lipowitz
Paxti Vila, director sportif of the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team, had mixed feelings after the stage.
“One side you’re happy because we won, but the other side you are kind of sad because Florian had that crash at kilometer 19.8 on that right turn,” Vila said. “He’s still on the way to the hospital. Let’s see when the medical update arrives.”
Lipowitz, Germany’s top rider, had been fifth in the general classification before Tuesday’s stage.
It was the only individual time trial of the Tour, starting in Évian-les-Bains beside Lake Geneva with a 16.4K climb up the category 2 Côte de Larringes, then a technical descent before a straight road into Thonon-les-Bains.
American rider Brandon McNulty had a run-in with an angry motorist on his way to the start.
The race ends Sunday in Paris.
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