Tadej Pogacar Takes Tour de France Lead After Strong Time Trial Performance
Tadej Pogacar claimed the race lead in the Tour de France from Mathieu van der Poel after placing second to Remco Evenepoel in the stage five time trial in Caen, building a notable gap over his main rival, Jonas Vingegaard.
Evenepoel, the Olympic and world time trial champion, rode at an average speed of 54km/h to secure the stage win as expected. However, Pogacar emerged as the standout performer while Vingegaard struggled in the afternoon heat.
Earlier in the day, Luke Plapp, a Giro d’Italia stage winner, and Vingegaard’s teammate Edoardo Affini had set competitive times, but Evenepoel’s speed proved too strong, outpacing them both.
Pogacar’s performance surpassed predictions, dealing a blow to Vingegaard’s team as the Slovenian now leads the two-time Tour winner by more than a minute ahead of the first mountain stage.
Evenepoel, who won the 2024 Tour time trial stage to Gevrey-Chambertin, had confidently stated he would gain significant time on Pogacar. Though he started at a fierce pace, his performance was not as dominant as many anticipated.
A month earlier, Evenepoel had outperformed Pogacar in the Critérium du Dauphiné time trial. But in Caen, Pogacar proved far more competitive, turning a narrow eight-second advantage over Vingegaard into a commanding lead of one minute and 13 seconds.
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