Remco Evenepoel has secured Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe’s second stage victory in this year’s Tour de France. Kicking off the third week of the race, the Belgian secured victory on the 16th stage, an individual time trial from Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains on the French shore of Lake Geneva. However, there was little cause for excessive celebration: Florian Lipowitz was forced to withdraw from the Tour.
Remcos Wingman crashed on a bend a good six kilometres from the finish and was unable to continue the race. At the last split time, he had still been on course for a podium finish. Florian was taken to hospital for further examinations.
Meanwhile, Remco completed the 26.1-kilometre course, with 500 metres of elevation gain, in 32 minutes and 19 seconds, averaging 48.45 km/h. No other professional broke the 48-mark. Tadej Pogacar, in second place, was almost 30 seconds slower, whilst Mattias Skjelmose, in third, more than a minute.
Remco laid the foundations for his 76th professional victory – and his 26th in an individual time trial – on Belgium’s National Day during the first and decisive third of the race, which led straight uphill from the start ramp. By the time he reached the highest point, he had already built up a 14-second lead over his closest rival.
With Mattia Cattaneo another rider from Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe put in a strong performance. The Italian finished sixth on the day. Meanwhile, Remco consolidated his second place in the general classification, a position he had already cemented with his victory on the mountain finish at the Plateau de Solaison before the rest day.
‘It was a really great time trial with lots of fans lining the route. My whole family is here; my parents have come just for today. It’s also Belgium’s National Day, which makes it even better. Still, it’s all a bit bittersweet because of Lipo’s crash. Despite the victory, we need to take a moment to process that. I wish him all the best and hope it’s not too serious.’
— Remco Evenepoel
‘We’re delighted with Remco’s victory, but Lipo’s crash was, of course, a huge blow for the whole team. We hope it isn’t too serious for him. With Remco, we were able to execute everything we’d set out to do from start to finish; we had the race under control at every split time. Especially on the climb. After that, it was all about putting in a good descent and bringing the lead home safely.’
— Klaas Lodewyck, Sports Director
