Evenepoel's stunning time trial win
as Pogačar takes Tour de France yellow jersey
[July 10, 2025]
CAEN, France (AP) — Race-against-the-clock specialist Remco
Evenepoel produced a stunning display of power to win the first time
trial of the Tour de France on Wednesday and defending champion
Tadej Pogačar cemented his favorite status by grabbing the yellow
jersey.
Evenepoel, the reigning time trial Olympic and world champion, was
expected to win the stage in the absence of time trial specialists —
Filippo Ganna and Stefan Bissegger, who both crashed and exited the
race on the first day of the Tour last week.
The mainly flat 33-kilometer (20.5-mile) stage 5 in Normandy favored
powerful riders like Evenepoel, who already had won a time trial in
a similiar fashion last year, when the Belgian rider finished third
overall in the general classification.
Evenepoel, who has fully recovered from multiple injuries sustained
in a big crash last year, was 16 seconds faster than Pogačar.
Edoardo Affini, the time trial European champion, was third, 33
seconds off the pace.
Tucked on his bike in a perfect aerodynamic position, Evenepoel was
in a class of his own. He made the most of the back wind in the
second half of the race, reaching the finish at an average speed of
more than 54 kph (33.5 mph).
“I didn’t really feel like I could go any faster,” Evenepoel said.
But the day's big winner was Pogačar, who was back in the yellow
jersey a day after taking his 100th career win. The three-time Tour
winner opened a big gap on his main rival Jonas Vingegaard, who
endured a bad day and lost more than one minute to his rival from
Slovenia.
Pogačar, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader, blasted off the starting
ramp and set up a very high tempo from the start. He could not match
Evenepoel's performance but his strong challenge put him at the top
of the overall standings, with a 42-second lead over Evenepoel.
Frenchman Kévin Vauquelin was in third place overall, 59 seconds off
the pace.
“To be 16 seconds behind the world champion, Olympic champion, the
best time trialist probably right now in the world, I'm super, super
happy,” Pogačar said. “I lost a little bit to Remco but gained on
the others, it's a very good day.”
Pogačar found himself holding the yellow jersey, the green jersey
for best sprinter and the polka dot jersey for best climber. It's
unclear whether Pogačar will want to defend the yellow jersey so
early in the race before the big mountain stages.
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Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar wearing the best climber's dotted jersey
competes during the fifth stage of the Tour de France cycling race,
an indivdual time-trial over 33 kilometers (20.5 miles) with start
and finish in Caen, France, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab
Elshamy)
“The most important is the yellow, and to have it on the
Champs-Elysees on the finish line in Paris,” Pogačar said.
Evenepoel was satisfied that he moved up to second place overall,
yet downplayed his chances of winning the Tour.
“It’s a big step towards the podium but there’s still a long way to
go,” Evenepoel said. "Everybody knows what’s coming next week and
the week after. One year, I will come to win the Tour but it’s a bit
too early this year.”
Vingegaard was never in the mix and now lags 1:13 behind Pogačar, in
fourth place overall. Previous leader Mathieu van der Poel, who was
under no illusion he could keep the coveted yellow jersey, dropped
to sixth place, 1:28 back.
Grischa Niermann, the head of racing at Vingegaard's Team Visma-Lease
a Bike, said the Danish rider “did not have enough power today.”
Thursday's stage
Stage 6 will take the peloton from Bayeux to Vire in a region of
France known as Norman Switzerland featuring some high hills and
stunning views. The stage finale should be spectacular with the Côte
de Vaudry likely to feature some attacks from top contenders before
an uphill finish with a 10% gradient.
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