Pogacar routs rivals in first time trial, gains big time

LAVAL, FRANCE >> Tadej Pogacar waited until the penultimate stage to take control of the Tour de France last year.

The young Slovenian rider did it after only five stages this summer, with a stunning display in Wednesday’s time trial that won’t be forgotten by his rivals.

In the first big battle between the main contenders — a 16.9-mile test against the clock coming early in the race — Pogacar reigned supreme, powering to victory to assert himself as the odds-on favorite at the showcase event.

“Today was a really good day for me. I didn’t do any mistakes,” Pogacar said.

The 22-year-old UAE Team Emirates leader did not seize the yellow jersey but gained time over his main rivals.

Just look at the damage: Pogacar was 44 seconds faster than last year’s runner-up, Primoz Roglic, while 2018 champion Geraint Thomas dropped 1 minute, 18 seconds. Richard Carapaz, a former Giro champion with big ambitions at the Tour this year, was 1:44 off the pace. World champion Julian Alaphilippe was among the day’s losers, 1:11 off Pogacar’s pace.

The Tour is a race of attrition and remains wide open. But the mountain stages in the Alps and the Pyrenees will be crucial, and Pogacar proved last year — when he became the second-youngest winner in the race history — that he can compete with the best climbers. In addition, he has a stronger team this year and the Tour is less mountainous. More importantly, another long time trial will be on the program on the eve of the finish on the Champs Elysees.

Pogacar lagged 39 seconds behind leader Mathieu van der Poel at the start of Stage 5 in the western Mayenne region on Wednesday and erased a big chunk of the deficit to move into second place overall. Van der Poel has limited abilities in high mountains and is not expected to remain in the mix once the race reaches the Alps later this week.

“I won’t keep (the yellow jersey) in the mountains, but I like Tadej, he is a very nice guy and it’s really amazing what he does,” said Van der Poel.

Pogacar had no rival on the technical loop from Changé to Laval. Not even the best specialists in the discipline could provide a challenge. Pogacar unleashed his power on the long stretches of flat roads and did not lose his tempo on the hills scattered along the course. Riding in an aerodynamic position, Pogacar perfectly negotiated the sharp curves of the finale and covered the route in 32 minutes, at an average speed of 32 mph.