Jonas Vingegaard Leaves Tadej Pogacar Trailing in Tour de France Time Trial
Vingegaard Deals Pogacar Massive Blow and Gets in Pole Position for the Title
Vingegaard deals Pogacar a massive blow in the Tour de France’s individual time trial, leaving his rival behind. With this game-changing victory, Vingegaard firmly secures pole position for the title, while significantly improving his Tour de France odds to win even more.
The Danish rider raced through the 16th stage, gliding over the stunning course that had Mont Blanc peeking through the backdrop. He sealed the stage with an impressive 32 minutes and 36 seconds, leaving behind the previous Tour winners of 2020 and 2021 and the 2022 Tour de France standings, including Pogacar, by a whopping 1:38. This massive leap forward has nudged Vingegaard ahead in the overall lead by 1:48.
Outpacing Predictions
While many had their eyes on Vingegaard as a possible favorite, his performance was nothing short of jaw-dropping. Clocking an average speed of 41.2kph, almost 4 kph faster than the organizer’s highest expected speed, he proved to be a force to be reckoned with.
Anticipations of a nail-biting race decided by seconds were dashed as the young Vingegaard crushed his rival across a 22.4-kilometre stretch. This triumph came after the two rivals were just 10 seconds apart, 2,600 kilometers into the race.
“I think it was one of my best days on the bike ever. I mean at one point I started doubting my power meter was broken. I think today all the hard work paid off.” A surprised Vingegaard said…
And with this, Jonas Vingegaard leaves Tadej Pogacar trailing…
Power Play
Our champ started off strong, pulling ahead at the first checkpoint at 7.1km with a 16-second lead over Pogacar. In a daring move, he stayed on his time trial bike while Pogacar switched for a lighter road bike hoping to gain an advantage on the climb. However, his strategy paid off; we have seen how Vingegaard deals Pogacar a massive blow, one many did not see coming.
Vingegaard sped past Pogacar’s team cars at some points, despite starting two minutes behind the Slovenian. He shared, “On the flat part between the climbs I was holding back. I wanted to do 360 watts (of power) and I ended up doing 380, then speeding up a bit in the climbs.”
A Stunned Pogacar
Pogacar, who managed to beat third-placed Wout van Aert by 1:13, could only say, “Today I could not do more, maybe it was not my best day.” The look on his face told a story of surprise, a stark contrast from his dominant performance in the 2020 Tour de France standings, where he steamrolled Primoz Roglic in the final time trial.
While Pogacar vows to keep fighting, Vingegaard’s strong performance has set the stage for an exciting contest in the coming days.
Feel like you need a bit more info for betting on cycling events? Check us out at our Betting Academy to understand more on how to bet on the Tour de France. Get the most out of the Tour de France favorites to win!
Also, check out what happened at the first 9 stages in our Tour de France Favorites To Win Part 1.
You can also check out Stages 10 to 15 in our Tour de France Favorites to Win Part 2 plus check out Stages 16 through 21 plus Tour de France Odds for your betting convenience in our Tour de France 2023 – Favorites and Winners Odds Part 3.
Stay tuned for more breaking news from the Tour de France, here at Point Spreads!
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