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Vingegaard destroys Tour de France time trial to open big gap on Pogačar

Adam Yates leapfrogs Rodriguez onto podium

July 18, 2023
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After 15 Tour de France stages, the deficit between yellow jersey and reigning champion Jonas Vingegaard and two-time winner Tadej Pogačar was only 10 seconds, but following Tuesday’s only time trial of the 110th edition, the gap was pried open by the Dane’s dominating performance. With four stages before Paris, the Jumbo-Visma rider has done a lot to make sure he defends his title this year. Hugo Houle was the top Canadian in 39th. All three Canadians kept their GC places.

The Course

After the start in Passy, a hill arrived quickly. Following a flat middle of the route, the final challenge was Côte de Domancy, 2.8 km à 8.4 percent. The full climb from the second intermediate time check to the finish was 6.3 km of 6.6 percent. Some riders were changing their bikes at the bottom of Domancy.

Soudal-Quick Step’s Remi Cavagna took over the hot seat from Nikias Arndt with a time of 35:42.

The stage started into the GC top-50 with Cavagna still atop the column with Mads Pedersen +0:24 and Kasper Asgreen +0:35. Hugo Houle was 46th from last to start and Michael Woods 38th from last.

Cavagna was the top man for most of the day. Photo: Sirotti

Swiss rider Stefan Küng, recent chrono winner at the Tour de Suisse, cracked Cavagna’s best time at the first intermediate check, but fell behind at Time 2 and farther behind by Time 3, a bike change messing with his flow.

Stage 2 winner Victor Lafay could see the funny side of crashing in the final kilometre. His team has two stage victories and Guillaume Martin is battling David Gaudu for the Tour’s Top Frenchman, so Cofidis is laughing.

After two hours in the hot seat, Cavagna started paying attention to Wout Van Aert’s time. The Belgian kept rising in the time check ranks. With the Jumbo-Visma rider stopping the clock at 35:27, Cavagna was usurped.

Eighth-place Simon Yates and seventh-place Pello Bilbao were steaming along the course. Could they move up on Tuesday? Simon’s twin Adam was also having a good ride in the early stages, opening the possibility that he could leapfrog Carlos Rodriguez.

Pogačar was flying, but so was Vingegaard, 16 seconds faster than his Slovenian rival at Time 1. Pogačar did a bike change at the bottom of the main climb, but nothing was going to help him make up the 30 seconds after Time 2. Vingegaard kept getting closer. Tadej Pogačar almost caught Rodriguez, but Vingegaard almost caught Pogačar.

Yates leads Rodriguez by five seconds in the podium scrap. Gaudu held off Martin for best Frenchman. Felix Gall dumped Martin from the top 10.

Wednesday plants four climbs evenly over 166 km. The final ascent is HC-rated Col de la Loze, not as much steep (6 percent), as it is long (28.3 km). It crests 6.6 km from the finish in Courchevel.

2023 Tour de France Stage 16
1) Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark/Jumbo-Visma) 32:36
2) Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia/UAE-Emirates) +1:38
3) Wout Van Aert (Belgium/Jumbo-Visma) 2:51
39) Hugo Houle (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +5:28
111) Michael Woods (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +6:58
124) Guillaume Boivin (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +7:25

2023 Tour de France GC
1) Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark/Jumbo-Visma) 63:06:53
2) Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia/UAE-Emirates) +1:48
3) Adam Yates (Great Britain/UAE-Emirates) +8:52
4) Carlos Rodriguez (Spain/Ineos) +8:57
5) Jai Hindley (Australia/Bora-Hansgrohe) +11:15
38) Michael Woods (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +1:55:29
46) Hugo Houle (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +2:18:09
126) Guillaume Boivin (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +4:03:51