The China Mail - Evenepoel wins 'special' Tour de France individual time-trial

Belgian Evenepoel, 26, blasted over the stage 16 course along the shores of Lake Geneva 28 seconds quicker than reigning champion Pogacar in second.

Everyone else finished more than a minute back, with Dane Mattias Skjelmose taking third at 1min 04sec.

That performance by the world and Olympic time-trial champion -- on Belgium's national holiday -- cut four-time Tour winner Pogacar's overall lead to 4min 32sec.

"It's amazing, it was a very nice TT (time-trial), a lot of people on the side of the road," said Evenepoel.

"My whole family from both sides being here, my parents came just today. My wife is here with her parents and the siblings as well.

"And also on the Belgian national day is pretty special -- I read this morning it's been a while since Belgium won on National Day, so I'm proud to be the one."

It was Evenepoel's second successive stage victory after he triumphed on Sunday's mountainous 15th stage.

It was his fourth Tour stage victory overall, and his third in time-trials.

He also extended the gap to third-placed Isaac del Toro to more than two minutes.

But it was a miserable day for Evenepoel's Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe team-mate Florian Lipowitz.

Two days after two-time former winner Jonas Vingegaard crashed out of the Tour while sitting second overall, German Lipowitz went down hard on a bend and was forced out of the race.

He had been fifth overall until that point and had set the fourth fastest time in the three intermediate time-checks.

But several minutes after he crashed, Lipowitz was escorted to a medical vehicle holding his left arm.

"That's very unfortunate, it's like a bittersweet pill to swallow with this victory, so I wish him all the best and I hope it's not too bad," Evenepoel said of his team-mate.

Both Pogacar and Del Toro had a scare going through the same bend where Lipowitz fell but managed to stay upright.

- 'Mixed emotions' -

From the moment Evenepoel began his time-trial, it was clear he was on course to do something special.

Once the top 10 contenders began their races against the clock, Skjelmose set the fastest time, well ahead of the best of the rest.

Lipowitz, Del Toro and French teenage prodigy Paul Seixas were only a handful of seconds behind at the three time-checks.

But when Evenepoel went through the first, it was clear that he was riding at a different pace.

Only Pogacar could stay within potential touching distance but he was seven seconds down at the first time-check, with Skjelmose 22sec back.

Those gaps ballooned to 14sec and 56sec by the second time-check.

That was the uphill part of the course and was where Evenepoel gained most of his time.

On the following descent and then a flat run to the finish, he gained only eight seconds on Skjelmose, 10 on Seixas and 13 on Pogacar.

"I think it was a really good execution from start to finish, he had good control," said Red Bull sporting director Klaas Lodewyck.

"It's mixed emotions, let's say. We're over the moon with the win from Remco, but the loss of Lipo was a big blow for the team."

W.Cheng--ThChM