LAVAL, France – Defending champion Tadej Pogacar won the time trial on Wednesday at the Tour de France to assert himself as the favorite in the three-week race.
Pogacar was 39 seconds behind the leader Mathieu van der Poel at the start of the 5th stage in the west of Mayenne and made up a good part of the delay to move up to second place in the general classification.
The 22-year-old Slovenian mastered the 22.7-kilometer (14-mile) technical loop from Change to Laval to beat all the other main competitors in an impressive display of power and technical skill.
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Van der Poel has limited high mountain skills and is unlikely to remain in the mix once the race reaches the Alps later this week.
Pogacar unleashed his power on the long stretches of flat roads and did not lose his rhythm on the hills scattered along the course.
Riding in an aero position, Pogacar negotiated the tight corners of the technical final perfectly and covered the course in 32 minutes, at an average speed of 51 kilometers per hour.
The UAE Team Emirates rider became the second youngest Tour de France winner last year after snatching the yellow jersey in a dramatic time trial on the eve of the arrival in Paris.
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Tadej Pogacar routs rivals in Tour de France time trial, which originally appeared on NBCSports.com
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