The Tour de France 2025 between Pogacar's synchronism and Vingegaard's rope

Today is no different from yesterday. The long procession of lonely souls on bicycles struggling to reach the top of the mountain, which was the result of the cycling community's disintegration in Hautacam , recurred today. This time, however, by regulation, it was an individual time trial, and not by imposition first by Visma | Lease a Bike and then by Tadej Pogacar.

For four hours, the tens of thousands of people who crowded along the road leading to Peyregudes enjoyed the parade of bodies and faces climbing toward the 1,580-meter high altitude plateau, closed off by those who had violently and forcefully opened the route to Hautacam yesterday. The time trial is a reversal, giving those who had led until that point the chance to close the gap.

Tadej Pogacar was the last to start, the last to arrive, the first in time . His pace on that stretch of asphalt transformed into a celebration by enthusiasts from all over France, Europe, and much of the world was flawless, like a fine watch. Perfect synchronicity. And fast, incredibly fast. As it could not be otherwise, because when the road climbs, there's no one like the Slovenian . Ruthless, because when you're dealing with time, you can't help but be merciless.

Yet at the top of that stretch of asphalt leading to the Peyresourde-Balestas altiport, which was treacherously created by engineer Gerland with the sole purpose of saving asphalt and thus reducing costs, Tadej Pogacar's climbing prowess was surpassed, or rather, anticipated, by that of Jonas Vingegaard . The Dane showed no mercy to Remco Evenepoel's struggles in his chosen discipline. He had started from Loudenvielle two minutes after the Belgian. He took them all back. And when he saw him struggling toward the finish, he began pushing hard to catch and overtake him. The Dane wasn't mad at the world and Olympic time trial champion; he simply used him as a spur, a rope to hold on to the hope of being able to tell himself that the Tour isn't over yet, that Tadej isn't truly unbeatable. Some hopes are shakier than a dinghy in six-meter waves, but disillusionment is even worse.

Under the finish banner, Jonas Vingegaard's face, dripping with effort and sweat, still held a glimmer of hope.

Under the finish banner, on Remco Evenpoel's face dripping with effort and sweat, that dazzlement had disappeared, swept away by resignation.

The Pyrenees had rejected him yesterday; through his mettle and his inability to give up, he had built hope from the dust left behind by those who had ousted him. Today, the Pyrenean breeze swept away even the dust. He won't give up; he's not the type.

He is still third in the standings, but the mood is gloomy and the fear of not being able to be with those two, the usual two, Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard on the podium in Paris is turning, pedal stroke after pedal stroke and climb after climb, into fear.

Also because the thirteenth stage of the 2025 Tour de France not only confirmed the excellent qualities of Florian Lipowitz (fourth at the finish), but also Primoz Roglic 's ability to outperform the clock. The Slovenian finished third, putting half a minute ahead of his young teammate (Lipowitz, ed .) and is now a minute and a half away from the podium.

More on these topics: