Tadej Pogacar also won the mountain time trial in the Tour de France on Friday. The yellow jersey wearer gained another substantial half minute on Jonas Vingegaard and achieved his fourth stage win in this Tour de France.
Pogacar already dealt a blow to Vingegaard in the first Pyrenees stage on Thursday by taking 2 minutes and 10 seconds on his Danish rival on the final climb to Hautacam. A day later, he extended his lead by another 36 seconds. In the general classification, Vingegaard’s deficit is now 4 minutes and 7 seconds.
The 10.9-kilometer time trial was primarily uphill. In the final 8.1 kilometers to the Peyragudes ski resort, the road ascended at an average of 7.6 percent. Pogacar chose to use his regular road bike. Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel rode on their time trial bikes.
Evenepoel won the flat time trial around Caen last week, but the reigning Olympic champion and world champion in this discipline was nowhere near the victory on Friday. The Belgian was even overtaken by Vingegaard just before the finish, who had started two minutes earlier. Vingegaard finished second, while Evenepoel (+2 minutes 39 seconds) was only twelfth.
Primoz Roglic clocked the third time, 1 minute and 20 seconds behind Pogacar. His teammate Florian Lipowitz finished fourth (+1 minute 56 seconds) and is now only six seconds behind number three Evenepoel in the general classification. Thymen Arensman (29th at 4 minutes 3 seconds) was the best Dutchman.
Saturday is the last of three tough Pyrenees stages. The fourteenth stage crosses the infamous Col du Tourmalet and finishes after a hors catégorie climb to Luchon-Superbagnères.