A legendary place for an epic duel: Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, the two inseparable from the Tour de France, compete at a distance on Tuesday during an alpine time trial which takes the mythical coast of Domancy, where Bernard Hinault forged one of his greatest feats. Honor reserved for the yellow jersey, Vingegaard will start last, at 5 p.m. sharp, just after his Slovenian rival, for around 36 minutes of effort on a course as short (22.4 km) as it is demanding between Passy and Combloux.
The main information:
- 16th stage of the Tour de France this Tuesday
- It will be the only time trial of this 2023 edition
- The route will take place in the Alps and the runners will have to cross the formidable Domancy coast
- Jonas Vingegaard still wears the yellow jersey and is ten seconds ahead of Tadej Pogacar
The profile of this 16th stage, with the terrible Côte de Domancy (2.5 km at 9.4%) on the menu, perfectly suits the two champions who hold themselves in ten seconds in the general classification and will want to set the record straight. Tuesday time in Haute-Savoie.
“It’s the kind of chrono that I love”
If the Tour could switch on Tuesday, it is difficult to designate a favorite between the two ogres, irresistible in the mountains and excellent riders, who say in concert “love a lot” the course. “Changes of pace suit me perfectly,” says Vingegaard. “It’s the kind of chrono that I love,” replies Pogacar.
The profile of the 16th stage
Credit: official Tour de France website
“It’s a time for mountaineers,” said the architect of the route, Thierry Gouvenou, to AFP. “There is Domancy of course, but also the Cascade de Coeur coast from the start. And after Domancy, there are still three, four kilometers of climbing until the finish. It’s hard. And on top of that it’s the day after the rest day,” he adds. “You really have to be at the top of your game. It’s made for the two protagonists there. I don’t see who could play with them on such a length of ascent”, adds Bernard Hinault, the master of the place, with the AFP.