Tour de France time trial: Evenepoel, Vingegaard, and the battle beyond Pogacar

"Remco has reconnoitered the time trial twice: once in December and again last June. So, he knows the course well," Pelgrim began the conversation. "The same applies to the gravel stage (which will be raced on Sunday, by the way). He has been there twice as well. I wasn't personally present for the gravel stage reconnaissances, so I only know it from the maps. The time trial is slightly more crucial to me, as there's more to prepare for: pacing, equipment choices, and those sorts of things."

The 25-kilometer time trial between Nuits-Saint-Georges and Gevrey-Chambertin, situated in Burgundy, is not entirely flat. About halfway through, the road begins to gently ascend, followed shortly after by a descent at a low gradient. "At the start, there's still a flat section before the road starts to climb. So, it's important to start well but also to conserve some reserves for the climb," explained Pelgrim, the Wolfpack leader's plan. "You need to have some margin there to, as they say, be able to pace slightly faster than usual."

It's clear that the individual race against the clock is a crucial part of Evenepoel's strategy, who hopes to secure a stage win in his first Tour de France, with a potential top-five finish in the general classification as a bonus. "The time trial is obviously an important goal for us. Not only in terms of the overall standings but also as a standalone stage. It's something we've been looking forward to and preparing for for months. The course suits him very well. There are plenty of sections where he can use his strength effectively," Pelgrim expressed his confidence.

Many cycling enthusiasts, alongside Evenepoel, see yellow jersey holder Tadej Pogacar as a strong favorite in the battle for the stage win. Pelgrim agrees with this sentiment. "It's worth mentioning that they haven't raced many time trials against each other. They mostly faced off at championships. But those situations are completely different, and it's often the pure specialists who excel. There's also no fatigue from previous stages, which is a factor here."

The difference between Aerokogel Van Schepdaal and Pogi is 45 seconds. Could Evenepoel, if everything truly goes according to plan, potentially take the jersey from the Slovenian? It seems unrealistic, as Pelgrim also acknowledges. "The yellow jersey is always an option, but it's going to be very difficult. Making up 45 seconds on Tadej Pogacar is not an easy task. In a 25-kilometer time trial, which is relatively short, that's a significant gap. And Tadej is certainly no slouch. You're talking about making up two seconds per kilometer. That's a lot. It might be possible against someone who isn't a specialist. But not against a Pogacar."

"Of course, we hope to take the stage win. That's the goal. By doing so, you would automatically gain time on the competitors," the Dutchman continued regarding the broader Tour picture. "It goes hand in hand. Simply put, all we can do is go from A to B as quickly as possible with Remco. That's the only thing within our control. What others do, we have no influence over. I don't think this time trial will be decisively determining. It's a TT where differences can be made, but I don't think it will create the largest gaps of this tour. It's rarely just one stage that decides everything. Usually, it's a culmination of what happens over several stages."

In recent days, we've seen Evenepoel frequently working with his time trial bike, often after the flat stages. "After the stage, Remco does his cool-down on a time trial bike. The position they have on such a bike is very specific: the muscles are at a different angle, so they need to stay accustomed to that," explained Pelgrim. "You train specifically for it beforehand, but during a Grand Tour, you can't really maintain it. That's why you try to compensate for it in this way. The only opportunity you have for that is with the warm-up rides."

Is Pogacar ultimately the only rival they consider for the stage win? No, it seems not. "Pogacar is certainly one of the biggest opponents in the time trial, especially because he's in very good form. We've seen before that when he's in form, he's a very strong time trialist. But there are others. Take Jonas Vingegaard and his time trial in last year's Tour. That was truly exceptional. It's hard to predict for this year's edition, but once he's in good shape, he will definitely be in the mix at the top."