Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), the reigning world time trial champion, took his first career Tour de France stage win on Friday’s stage 7, the first of TT in this year’s race. With rainbow bands accenting his kit and bike but wearing the white jersey of the Tour’s best young rider, Evenepoel covered the 25.3 km course from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin in 28:52. That would prove to be 12 seconds faster than race leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), who secured runner-up honors on the stage.
With the win, Evenepoel has now won stages in all three Grand Tours.
Primož Roglič of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe was the third fastest rider on the day with Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) just behind him in fourth. Pogačar maintained his grip on the yellow jersey, albeit with Evenepoel inching slightly closer in the overall standings, while Roglič and Vingegaard ceded a few seconds on a day where most of the top GC favorites delivered strong rides without huge gaps separating them.
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How it happened
- Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny) spent much of the stage in the hotseat after very, very narrowly besting the time of Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-Samsic) by less than a second. Ultimately, however, the last few GC favorites on the road would smash the times set by the earlier starters.
- Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe), starting fifth-to-last on the day, set new fastest times at the three intermediate time checks and knocked Campenaerts out of the hotseat – but he would only hold it for a few minutes. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) then bested Roglič at every intermediate time check, but he faded slightly after the climb midway through the course and arrived three seconds slower at the finish line. In any case, it was becoming clear from the intermediates by that point that the stage win would come down to the last two riders on the road: Evenepoel and Pogačar.
- His head down on the straighter sections and sprinting out of several corners, Evenepoel continuously set the fastest marks at each of the checkpoints. There was nonetheless a moment of uncertainty as Evenepoel seemed to signal at one point that he was dealing with a mechanical. He later said that he thought he heard the sound of a puncture, but as it turned out, there was nothing wrong. He cruised through the final few kilometers safely – and quickly – to set a new fastest time that withstand the last remaining rider on the road.
I was on a good day. The climb was actually pretty tough because I wanted to start fast, and I had to keep something for the climb, which wasn’t easy. The descent, when you’re on the limit, it was pretty technical and fast. I enjoyed every meter of this TT. Coming out with a win is simply amazing.
—Remco Evenepoel after his stage victory
Brief analysis
- The stage seemed to go the way many had expected, with Evenepoel besting Pogačar for the stage as Roglič and Vingegaard also put in respectable rides. Evenepoel’s performance does put him only 33 seconds down on Pogačar now, but the Belgian again said in his post-race interview that he sees Pogačar as being on another level in this Tour. Evenepoel could conceivably pick up more time in the final time trial on stage 21, but he will need to deliver on the climbs if he is to challenge for yellow.
- Pogačar’s ride saw him put time into the other big overall contender, defending champion Vingegaard, although the 25-second gap was not a massive one. Vingegaard is now 1:15 down on Pogačar, but the Pyrenees and the Alps will provide ample opportunity for significant gains or losses.
- Further down the stage results, Vauquelin was particularly impressive en route to sixth place, ahead of several talented TT riders. The young Frenchman has already won a stage at the Tour and is clearly on fine form. On the other end of the spectrum, Juan Ayuso of UAE Team Emirates will probably be disappointed with his performance. A pre-stage favorite to contend for the win, the Spaniard seemed to fade over the course of his effort and ultimately landed 16th on the stage.
Up next
The sprinters could have another opportunity to shine on Saturday’s stage 8, a 183.4 km trek from Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, but that’s not quite guaranteed on a profile of rolling hills. A chance of rain and a bit of wind could add to the intrigue, and the finish is slightly uphill, too, which could favor the more versatile speedsters in the peloton.
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