Evenepoel closes gap on Pogacar in Tour de France time trial

Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel has significantly reduced Tadej Pogacar’s lead in the 2026 Tour de France, winning the stage 16 individual time trial by 28 seconds. The Belgian rider’s performance on the 26.1km course along the shores of Lake Geneva trimmed the Slovenian’s overall advantage to 4 minutes 32 seconds, intensifying the contest for the general classification.

The victory, achieved on Belgium’s national holiday, marked Evenepoel’s second successive stage win and his fourth overall in the Tour de France. It also stands as his third time-trial victory in the race. Evenepoel, who is also the world time-trial champion, extended his gap to third-placed Isaac del Toro to more than two minutes, consolidating his position at the top of the stage results.

Dane Mattias Skjelmose finished third, 1 minute 4 seconds behind Evenepoel. The stage saw intense competition among the top contenders, with Skjelmose initially setting the fastest time. However, Evenepoel’s pace at the first time-check, seven seconds ahead of Pogacar, established a lead that widened significantly during the uphill section of the course.

The day was marred by a serious incident involving Evenepoel’s Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe teammate, Florian Lipowitz. The German rider, who had been fifth overall and set the fourth fastest time at intermediate checks, crashed on a bend and was forced to withdraw. Lipowitz was escorted to a medical vehicle holding his left arm, though the specific nature of his injury remains unconfirmed.

Red Bull sporting director Klaas Lodewyck described the outcome as having “mixed emotions,” citing the team’s success alongside the blow of losing Lipowitz. Both Pogacar and del Toro experienced a scare at the same bend where Lipowitz fell but managed to remain upright. The result follows the earlier withdrawal of two-time former winner Jonas Vingegaard, who crashed out of the Tour on stage 15.