Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), the reigning world and Olympic time trial champion, claimed a predictable victory in Caen. It was the 64th win of his career and his 21st in an individual time trial. However, the 25-year-old Belgian’s advantage was not as significant as during the Critérium du Dauphiné, where Tadej Pogačar lost 48 seconds to him and 28 seconds to Jonas Vingegaard over 17 kilometers.

☄️ It’s a bird… it’s a plane… it’s super Remco!

☄️ C’est un oiseau… c’est un avion… c’est Super Remco ! #TDF2025

🎨 A.S.O. / @maximelth pic.twitter.com/lEbpisDwSP

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 9, 2025

This time, the story was different. Evenepoel won the stage with a 16-second advantage over the Slovenian ace, while Italian Edoardo Affini (Visma Lease a Bike) finished third, 33 seconds behind.

Evenepoel 16 Seconds Ahead of Pogačar

At the first time check, Evenepoel was only one second ahead of third-placed Pogačar, while Vingegaard was eighth, 20 seconds down, and Primož Roglič was 15th, already 27 seconds behind.

Halfway through the stage, battling a headwind, Evenepoel was third but had extended his lead to 12 seconds over Pogačar and 41 to 42 seconds over Roglič and Vingegaard. By the three-quarter mark, the Belgian had moved into the lead, ramping up the pace. He was 17 seconds ahead of Pogačar, while Roglič and Vingegaard, in 11th and 14th positions respectively, were already losing over a minute.

Pogačar, aside from the stage winner, gained significant time over all other general classification contenders.

Roglič Ahead of Vingegaard

Two-time Tour winner Vingegaard had a disappointing time trial, finishing 13th and losing 1 minute and 21 seconds. Roglič (Red Bull BORA-hansgrohe) fared slightly better, taking 12th place.

Pogačar Leads by 42 Seconds

With his second-place finish, three-time Tour winner Pogačar took over the overall lead. He now has a 42-second advantage over Evenepoel. French rider Kevin Vauquelin is third, 59 seconds back, while Vingegaard sits fourth, 1:13 down. Roglič is eighth overall, trailing by 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Thursday’s Hilly Stage

The next stage, from Bayeux to Vire Normandie (201.5 km), promises plenty of action. Riders face six categorized climbs, with a total of 3,550 meters of elevation. The finale includes a short, steep climb in the last five kilometers, leading up to the finish line.