Evenepoel, the reigning time trial Olympic and world champion, was expected to win the stage in the absence of time trial specialists — Filippo Ganna and Stefan Bissegger, who both crashed and exited the race on the first day of the Tour last week.

To take a stage win earlier in the Tour takes away the pressure and it is motivating, of course." Pogačar now leads the race by 42 seconds ahead of Evenepoel, with Jonas Vingegaard already languishing in fourth,