Tour de France 2024: Remco Evenepoel wins the time trial ahead of Tadej Pogacar and signs a first success on the Grande Boucle

Première victoire sur le Tour pour Remco. MAXPPP – DAVID PINTENS

Remco Evenepoel a remporté la septième étape du Tour de France, un contre-la-montre de 25 km, vendredi à Gevrey-Chambertin où Tadej Pogacar a conservé le maillot jaune.

The Belgian, world champion in the exercise, was ahead of the Slovenian by twelve seconds, despite a mechanical incident, who remains 33 seconds ahead in the general classification. 

The Slovenian Primoz Roglic finished third in the time trial, 34 seconds behind the winner, just ahead of the Dane Jonas Vingegaard, who finished 37 seconds behind Evenepoel.

👑 Le 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧 du chrono c'est Evenepoel ! 🚀 Le Belge s'impose (malgré une grosse frayeur) devant Pogacar et Roglic

Il remporte pour la première fois une étape sur le Tour 👏#TDF2024 #LesRP pic.twitter.com/Q3whI3fRjt

— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) July 5, 2024

Frenchman Kevin Vauquelin took a magnificent sixth place just 52 seconds behind Evenepoel. This is the Belgian prodigy's first victory in the Tour de France, which he is racing for the first time this year.

"I'm super happy, I was having a good day. I enjoyed every meter of this time", declared the 24-year-old Fleming. He won despite a scare less than three kilometers from the finish when he thought he had a puncture before leaving after a short acrobatic jump to test his equipment.

I think Tadej will be untouchable

"I was sure I had a flat tire, maybe someone threw a drink, he said. Then I saw that there were no problems, I just had to keep driving. It scared me a little, I was disturbed."

Finishing in the first four places, "the fantastic four" all held their place in this against the -shows on a very rolling 25 kilometer course in the vineyards of Burgundy which constituted a decisive meeting to judge their state of form. Pogacar was, as expected, very good and Vingegaard, two-time outgoing winner, defended himself admirably well even though he is just returning to competition.

"I think Tadej will be untouchable, commented Evenepoel, but it's is the race, you never know what can happen. The longer the race goes, the better I feel. Of course we're going to think about the podium, I think I have the legs for that."