Vingegaard dominates time trial to close in on Tour de France title

Jonas Vingegaard soared to a crushing triumph on stage 16 of the Tour de France on Tuesday, winning the 22.4km time trial by 1min 38sec from Tadej Pogacar, who was second.

Jumbo Visma rider Vingegaard attacked from start to finish with a win that extended his overall lead in the Tour de France to 1min 48sec over the Team UAE rider Pogacar.

"I'm hugely proud of what I achieved today," the defending champion said.

The margin of the win was a surprise. Ahead of the start of the stage, most riders tipped Pogacar to win.

"It's today you win the Tour! Come on! Come on! Come on," Vingegaard's team shouted to him over their radio as times showed the Dane was crushing Pogacar along the way.

Pogacar, at times, appeared as white as the white jersey he was wearing. He also fumbled his bike change from the aerodynamic time-trial model to a lighter climbing bike at the foot of the steep Cote de Dormancy towards the end of the ride.

?? Rankings and jerseys after stage 16?? Classements et maillots distinctifs après l'étape 16#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/7RuqHdBnB5

"There was nothing I could have done more. This isn't finished, but he took a lot of time," Pogacar said at the finish line.

The Slovenian was blown away by Vingegaard yet was far stronger than anyone else, finishing 1min 13sec ahead of the third-place rider, Wout van Aert.

After the two were separated by just 10 seconds at the start of the day, the margin appears decisive, but Wednesday's Queen stage tackles four huge mountains.

So far on this 110th edition, the pair have traded tit-for-tat hits with the struggle finely balanced as the peloton climbed through the Alps.

Vingegaard fired first, taking a 53-second lead over the Team UAE rider in the Pyrenees, but Pogacar hit back three times