Van Aert flies in the Tour time trial and Vingegaard submits Pogacar in the last battle News

Belgian cyclist Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) has claimed victory in the twentieth and penultimate stage of the Tour de France, a 40.7-kilometre individual time trial between Lacapelle-Marival and Rocamadour, in which his teammate and leader of the general, Jonas Vingegaard exhibited his power by coming in second and winning the last battle against Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) for the yellow jersey.

For the third consecutive year, the Tour experienced an individual time trial on the last Saturday of the race. Precisely, Pogacar showed himself to the world in 2020 to unseat his compatriot Primoz Roglic in La Planche des Belles Filles and secure his first French round.

The Slovenian, three minutes and 21 seconds behind Vingegaard, could not repeat a feat that seemed impossible, although he tried until the last moment without success and he will not wear the yellow for the third time on the Champs-Élysées. Thus, the man from Jumbo did not give up without forgiving even a second of the general classification against his rival. In fact, he increased the advantage by 19 seconds against Pogacar, who finished the Time Trial in third place.

The tireless Van Aert demonstrated his versatility and achieved his third stage victory. In this way, the Belgian made up for his loss in the opening Time Trial, where he fell five seconds short of his first win against compatriot Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl).

Thus, Vingegaard will climb this Sunday to the top of the podium on the Champs-Elysées, along with Pogacar and the British Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers), who defended his third position in the time trial ahead of the Frenchman David Gaudu (Groupama FDJ).

On a hot day in Libourne, Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) was among the first to ride and set the bar very high. The Dane, triple world U-23 individual time trial champion, was the first to beat the time and set the benchmark with 50:22.

But the Italian Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) showed his stripes in the time trial, thus exhibiting his superiority that accredits him as the world champion of the discipline, and beat Bjerg's time by 1:41. Only Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), who already beat the Italian by 24 seconds at the second intermediate point, was able to rise to the top of the time trial classification, a 47:59 that Vingegaard could not beat.

The virtual winner of the Tour tried until the last section to win the stage, although his ambition was about to take him to the ground. A scare five minutes from the end that made him change his mentality and give in so that his teammate took the partial victory.

Jumbo's exhibition, with four consecutive wins and the sixth in 20 stages, showed the great form of the Dutch team. An impeccable performance in the gala round that they will savor this Sunday on the last day.

There were no changes in the first four places in the general classification, but the next four were considered with Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) climbing to fifth place. In the case of Nairo Quintana (Arkéa-Samsic) he fell to sixth place.

Romain Bardet (Team DSM) reached seventh by just 10 seconds to the detriment of Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert) who, for the third time in his sporting life, will finish the Tour de France in eighth place. The 'Top 10' is completed by Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan), behind Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers).

This Sunday, the gala round will come to an end with a stage, the twenty-first, of 116 kilometers starting from La Défense Arena and arriving at the majestic Champs-Élysées in Paris. It will be time for the winners, with Vingegaard in the lead, to toast their successes with champagne and for the riders to battle it out, in the final sprint, for the ultimate stage win.

--CLASSIFICATIONS.

- Stage.

.1. Wout van Aert (BEL/Jumbo-Visma) 47:59.

.2. Jonas Vingegaard (DIN/Jumbo-Visma) by 19 seconds.

.3. Tadej Pogacar (SLO/UAE Team Emirates) 27.

.4. Geraint Thomas (GBR/INEOS Grenadiers) 32.

.5. 42. Philip Ganna (ITA/INEOS Grenadiers)

- General.

.1. Jonas Vingegaard (DIN/Jumbo-Visma) 76h33:57.

.2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO/UAE Team Emirates) at 3:34.

.3. Geraint Thomas (GBR/INEOS Grenadiers) 8:13.

.4. David Gaudu (FRA/Groupama FDJ) 13:56.