Vingegaard deals Pogacar massive blow in Tour de France time trial

COMPLEX July 19 (BNA): Defending champion Jonas Vinggaard smashed challenger Tadezh Pogacar in the individual time trial on Tuesday to build a massive time and psychological advantage in his battle for the Tour de France title.

The Danish rider won stage sixteen, clocking 32 minutes and 36 seconds on a beautiful track with Mont Blanc in the background to beat 2020 and 2021 Tour winner Pogacar by 1:38 and extend his overall lead to 1:48, Reuters reported.

While Vingegaard was a slight favorite in the individual effort against the clock, his performance was quite impressive as he rode at an average speed of 41.2kph, some 4kph faster than the organizers’ fastest expected time.

Talks of a race that could be decided in seconds ended in abrupt fashion as the baby-faced Vingegaard crushed his rival at 22.4km after they were separated by just 10 seconds at 2,600km to race.

“I haven’t seen the numbers yet but it was very fast and definitely Jonas’s best experience ever but we know what he’s capable of,” Jumbo-Visma sports director Grisha Nirman told reporters.

Vingegaard himself was surprised by his offer.

“I think it was one of the best days I’ve ever had on the bike,” the 26-year-old said in a press conference. “I mean at some point I started to suspect I broke my strength meter. I think today all the hard work paid off.” .

Vingegaard got off to a strong start, reaching the first checkpoint at 7.1km with a 16-second advantage over his rival.

The Dane took all the risks in the descending sections and reached the foot of the Côte de Domancée (2.5 kilometers at 9.4%) with a 31-second lead.

ZH