Stage 16: A Test of Endurance and Strategy
The Tour de France continued on Tuesday, July 21, with Stage 16, an individual time trial spanning 26.1km from Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains. This stage marks the only individual time trial of the 2026 race, following an earlier team time trial won by Visma-Lease a Bike. The course presents a significant challenge, beginning with an uphill section from the start in Évian-les-Bains, featuring the Côte de Larringes, a 9.7km climb with an average gradient of 4.3%. After the climb, riders face a descent towards the Lake Geneva shoreline before a flat run-in to the finish line.
The terrain demands a blend of pacing, power, and aerodynamics, potentially favouring general classification (GC) riders who excel in time trials over pure specialists. While specialists might possess greater power on flat sections, their lighter counterparts could have an advantage on the climb. This stage is particularly crucial as it offers an opportunity to significantly alter the GC standings as the final week of the race commences.
Key Riders and Early Performances
The first rider began the stage at noon. Josh Tarling of Netcompany-Ineos set an early fastest time of 34 minutes 21 seconds. His teammate, Filippo Ganna, finished four seconds behind, unable to surpass Tarling’s mark. Huub Artz of Lotto-Intermarche currently holds the third position.
Bruno Armirail of Visma Lease-a-Bike demonstrated a strong performance, passing the time check at the top of the Côte de Larringes 19 seconds quicker than Tarling. He continued to descend rapidly, with 11.5km remaining in his effort. Mads Pedersen, wearing the green jersey, is also on the course but is not considered a time trial specialist, trailing Tarling’s time by 50 seconds. Other riders are currently more than 40 seconds off the stage leader’s pace.
The mountains classification leader, Tadej Pogačar, currently holds a five-minute lead in the overall standings. However, Valentin Paret-Peintre of Soudal-Quick-Step is wearing the polka dot jersey, as the race leader cannot wear both. Paret-Peintre is focusing his efforts on the climb, aiming for points rather than overall time.
Among the non-GC riders to watch, Josh Tarling, Edoardo Affini, Daan Hoole, Filippo Ganna, Tobias Foss, Antonio Tiberi, and Brandon McNulty are notable. The top 10 riders in the GC started later in the day, with Jordan Jegat, Juan Ayuso of Lidl-Trek, and Paul Seixas of Decathlon CMA CGM among them.
Evenepoel’s Strategy and Expectations
Remco Evenepoel, the reigning world champion from Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, is considered a strong favourite for the stage. He is expected to start at 17:13, just before Pogačar at 17:15. Evenepoel recently secured a mountain stage win on Sunday, outsprinting Pogačar and Isaac del Toro on Stage 15. This victory marked his first road race stage win in the Tour and suggests he is gaining strength as the race progresses.
Evenepoel’s preparation for the Tour involved an unconventional two-month break from competition, focusing on intensive training and altitude camps. This strategy aimed to ensure he arrived at the Tour in optimal condition. He expressed satisfaction with his preparation, noting that he feels happy with how everything has developed during the Tour so far, despite the significant week ahead.
Evenepoel has previously won a time trial of similar distance in the Tour de France two years ago. He is a multiple world champion in the discipline and an Olympic title holder, making him a formidable contender. He previewed the Stage 16 course on Monday, describing it as a “nice course” but also highlighting the descent as “tricky” and “technical.” He plans to give his best effort to win the stage and potentially gain time on his rivals in the GC standings. He is currently five minutes behind Pogačar, 58 seconds ahead of Del Toro, 1 minute 23 seconds in front of Paul Seixas, and 1 minute 48 seconds ahead of his teammate Florian Lipowitz. The action for Stage 16 commenced at 13:00 local time CEST.
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Source: theguardian.com
