Remco Evenepoel won the Tour de France individual time trial on July 21, 2026, finishing a 26.1-kilometer course in 32 minutes and 19 seconds. The victory reduced the overall lead held by Tadej Pogačar by 28 seconds, though Pogačar maintains a general classification advantage of four minutes and 32 seconds.
The 16th stage of the 113th Tour de France delivered a tactical masterclass from Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull – Bora – hansgrohe. Averaging 48.45 kilometers per hour, Evenepoel claimed the stage win, while overall leader Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates – XRG finished 28 seconds behind in second place.
The 26.1-Kilometer Time Trial Breakdown
Following the tour’s final rest day, riders faced a demanding individual time trial featuring a second-category climb in the first half of the route. Evenepoel’s winning time of 32:19 set the benchmark for the field. The third-place finisher was Matiass Skjelmose of Lidl-Trek, who trailed the winner by one minute and four seconds.
For the Latvian contingent, Krists Neilands achieved the highest position for the NSN team, finishing five minutes and five seconds slower than Evenepoel.
Pogačars’ General Classification Lead
Despite Evenepoel’s stage victory, the gap at the top remains significant. After 16 stages, Pogačar holds a lead of four minutes and 32 seconds over Evenepoel. The battle for the podium also sees Isaks del Toro, a teammate of the leader from UAE Team Emirates – XRG, trailing at a further distance.
The volatility of the general classification has been evident throughout the tour. Liepajniekiem.lv noted that during the 13th stage, Pogačar’s lead over Jonas Vingegaard was three minutes and 36 seconds, and his lead over Evenepoel was four minutes and six seconds. By the 14th stage, Pogačar had extended his lead over Vingegaard to four minutes and 30 seconds, with Evenepoel trailing by an additional 34 seconds.
Latvian Performance Trends: Skujiņš and Neilands
As of the 16th stage, Skujiņš occupies 93rd place and Neilands 136th.
- Stage 13: On Friday, July 17, riders covered 205.8 kilometers with one third-category and one first-category climb, as well as one intermediate sprint. The stage was won by Swiss rider Mauro Schmid of Team Jayco AlUla, who finished in 4 hours, 6 minutes, and 58 seconds. Harold Tejada of XDS Astana finished second with the same time, while Tom Pidcock of Pinarello Q36.5 took third, trailing by two seconds. Neilands finished 111th, losing 17 minutes and 19 seconds to the winner, while Skujiņš finished 133rd with the same time. In the 12th stage, Skujiņš and Neilands had finished 75th and 169th respectively.
- Stage 14: Riders covered 155.3 kilometers with four categorized climbs, the final peak arriving less than six kilometers before the finish. Pogačar won the stage with a time of 4 hours and 7 seconds after a solo attack 1.6 kilometers before the final peak. Second place went to teammate Isaks del Toro and Paul Seiksas of Decathlon CMA CGM, who lost 38 seconds. Jonas Vingegaard finished six seconds behind the top three, and Remco Evenepoel finished four seconds behind Vingegaard. Juan Ayuso and Matiass Skjelmose of Lidl-Trek finished sixth and tenth. Skujiņš finished 98th, losing 35 minutes and 23 seconds, and Neilands finished 144th, trailing by an additional 99 seconds.
- Stage 16: Neilands outpaced Skujiņš in the individual time trial, though both remain far from the overall lead.
This year’s struggle contrasts with their historical peaks in the race. Skujiņš is competing in his eighth Tour de France, with a career-best second-place stage finish in 2020. Neilands, in his sixth appearance, saw his best result in 2023 with a fourth-place finish in a single stage.
The Road to Paris
The competition is now entering its final phase. The 113th edition of the tour is scheduled to conclude on July 26 with the traditional finish at the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
While Evenepoel has proven he can claw back time in the time trials, Pogačar enters the final stretch with a commanding psychological and temporal advantage, having also won the tour last year. For Skujiņš and Neilands, the goal is to improve upon their 2023 finishes, where they placed 95th and 88th respectively.
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