Tadej Pogacar delivered a masterclass performance in the Tour de France on Friday, securing his fourth stage victory of this year's edition with a dominant display in the mountain time trial. The reigning champion, who regained the overall lead after stage 12, continued his impressive form by conquering the 10.9km route from Loudenvielle to the Peyragudes airfield in the Pyrenees in just 23 minutes.
Pogacar's blistering pace saw him finish 36 seconds ahead of his closest rival, Jonas Vingegaard, and extend his lead in the general classification to four minutes and seven seconds. The Slovenian, now 26, has become the youngest rider in history to achieve 21 Tour de France stage wins, placing him sixth on the all-time list. "I'm super happy," Pogacar said. "This time trial was a big question mark for me since December, and I wanted everything to be perfect. I gave it everything from start to finish."
World and Olympic time-trial champion Remco Evenepoel, who started the day in third place, faced challenges during the stage, including a minor mechanical issue that allowed Vingegaard to overtake him on the steep final climb. Despite finishing 2 minutes and 39 seconds behind Pogacar, Evenepoel retained his third-place position in the standings, though he now trails the defending champion by over seven minutes.
Primoz Roglic finished third on the day, while British rider Oscar Onley gained 29 seconds on Kevin Vauquelin to move into fifth place overall. Australian time-trial champion Luke Plapp set an early benchmark, but his time was eventually surpassed by the top contenders on the grueling 8km climb, which featured an average gradient of 7.8% and a punishing final 300m at 16%.
Pogacar's strategic decision to use a road bike instead of an adapted time-trial bike paid off, as he recorded the fastest times at both checkpoints before powering through the final ascent. Meanwhile, Vingegaard, who struggled in Thursday's stage, expressed satisfaction with his performance. "Yesterday was one of my worst days, but today was one of my best. It's nice to bounce back like this," he said.
The peloton now faces another challenging mountain stage on Saturday, covering 182.6km from Pau to a summit finish at Luchon-Superbagneres. With eight stages remaining, Pogacar remains the clear favorite as the 2025 Tour de France heads toward its conclusion in Paris on July 27.
Stage 13 Results:
1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Emirates-XRG) – 23:00
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +36s
3. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +1:20
General Classification After Stage 13:
1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Emirates-XRG) – 45:45:51
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +4:07
3. Remco Evenepoel (Bel/Soudal Quick-Step) +7:24
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