World Championship 2025: Men’s ITT, September 21

[Extinction]

And then Evenepoel loses back 3 minutes on the first MTF. Good times.

No, because MTTs by nature are limited in length.

 

[Cycling111]

If Pog has a day like today in a real ITT (meaning 50-60 km), Pog is losing > 3 minutes

Before the Tour, Pogacar is training for the time trial like he's never trained for World Championships before.

Ganna passed Pogacar at the European Championships, and in the flat time trial at the Giro, he barely beat him by 30 seconds.

Pogacar has never had such a bad time trial in a Tour. I wouldn't even consider the Combloux ITT as bad because he was far superior to Van Aert; only Vingegaard, who had the best day of his career, beat him. Today, Pogacar couldn't even beat Van Wilder.

Don't expect Pogacar to lose 3 minutes against Remco in a Tour de France time trial. I wouldn't even rule out Pogacar winning this time trial in the Tour.

In any case, not even Vingegaard has finished within 3 minutes of Pogacar this year. Remco needs about four time trials in a Tour de France to win.
Remco isn't Indurian. Indurain won mountain stages against Pantani and holds Plagne climb record. Remco can't follow Pogacar´s wheel in the mountains.

 

[houtdffan]

And then Evenepoel loses back 3 minutes on the first MTF. Good times.

that's what SHOULD be happening. Pog needs to defend and then Remco needs to defend

 

[Red Rick]

No, because MTTs by nature are limited in length.

​

Rnk	Rider	Team	UCI	Pnt		Time
1	Pogačar Tadej	UAE Team Emirates - XRG	210	100	10″	4:21:19
2	Vingegaard Jonas	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	150	70	6″	2:10
3	Lipowitz Florian	Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe	110	50	4″	2:23
4	Johannessen Tobias Halland	Uno-X Mobility	90	40		3:00
5	Onley Oscar	Team Picnic PostNL	70	32		,,
6	Vauquelin Kévin	Arkéa - B&B Hotels	55	26		3:33
7	Evenepoel Remco	Soudal Quick-Step	45	22		3:35

 

[Extinction]

Look Netserk, what we clearly fail to understand is that time trials in Grand Tours are a very poor representation of time trials in Grand Tours, and we should instead look at one day time trials near the end of the season where everyone has had wildly different preperation, becuase they resemble time trials in Grand Tours much better.

Let's say a TT in a GT is totally different from a WCITT. However, for someone like Remco, who transcends pure TT specialty, it may indicate stellar form generally. Next week shall give the answer.

 

[Extinction]

​

Rnk	Rider	Team	UCI	Pnt		Time
1	Pogačar Tadej	UAE Team Emirates - XRG	210	100	10″	4:21:19
2	Vingegaard Jonas	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	150	70	6″	2:10
3	Lipowitz Florian	Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe	110	50	4″	2:23
4	Johannessen Tobias Halland	Uno-X Mobility	90	40		3:00
5	Onley Oscar	Team Picnic PostNL	70	32		,,
6	Vauquelin Kévin	Arkéa - B&B Hotels	55	26		3:33
7	Evenepoel Remco	Soudal Quick-Step	45	22		3:35

Right, because it was all about the climb, not 50+ km of grind.

 

[Brullnux]

I don't think it's all that much about recovery as it's about a different prep. Last we had a stage 1 ITT, both Pogi and Vingegaard did really well. But they and all competitors prepare for a GT then, whereas the WCTT takes a very specific prep, better suited for specialists.

Had this been stage 1 of the Tour, Pogi would easily be 2nd. And maybe even 1st.

I think Pogacar isn't favourite on this course in a grand tour, but he'd be much closer of course. He had a bad day, but he was never going to be as dominant as his fans suggested.

As in, we have no evidence from Grand Tours or otherwise that Pogacar can beat Remco on such a course. He can beat Remco in a w/kg battle, sure, but this wasn't that.

 

[Samamba]

And maybe even 1st.

He has lost to Remco in the first TT of the Tour 2 years in a row. No he wouldn't beat him. Remco is the best TTer in the world.

 

[Extinction]

He has lost to Remco in the first TT of the Tour 2 years in a row. No he wouldn't beat him. Remco is the best TTer in the world.

Well, that's evident and anyone who says Pogi is better is either confused or blind.

 

[Berniece]

Had this been stage 1 of the Tour, Pogi would easily be 2nd. And maybe even 1st.

Pogacar never wins a ITT like this against Evenepoel, when both are perfectly prepared. Evenepoel is just better at this.

 

[AlpRaid]

Had this been stage 1 of the Tour, Pogi would easily be 2nd. And maybe even 1st.

not if it were stage 1. that would advantage remco even more.

did you catch his ITT that started the 2023 Giro?

It's only at the end of a 3 week race that Pog becomes a magician.

 

[Extinction]

Pogacar never wins a ITT like this against Evenepoel, when both are perfectly prepared. Evenepoel is just better at this.

And "this" is a pretty big thing, given it's the race of Truth. While it's not like Remco is Kung or Ganna and can actually compete in the Mountains. Perhaps going to Bora will cause and earthquake, a tectonic shift in the balance of power? The money is there.

 

[Danskebjerge]

Pogacar a bit worse than I expected (don't think he's in really good form), but also no idea why people thought this was going to be close. Remco is so far ahead in TTs. Pog shines in TT's in GTs cause his recovery is OP.

Let's hope this means Sunday won't just be a long solo.

I totally agree about hoping for a not so lame road race as last year.

Regarding the TT, I believe people thought Pogacar had a chance because the course was so hilly. And actually, I would want to see differences between hilly and flat TT's when it comes to what type of rider does best. But today's result indicates that even the toughest TT's (apart from the real mountain TT's) will be a feast for the specialists with lots of power (or maybe Evenepoel is just in a category of his own).

 

[AlpRaid]

...or maybe Evenepoel is just in a category of his own.

this.

 

[AlpRaid]

I totally agree about hoping for a not so lame road race as last year.

race last year was not lame, imo.

it was a history-making raid that was truly amazing.

 

[houtdffan]

race last year was not lame, imo.

it was a history-making raid that was truly amazing.

wasn't lame at all.

Pog admitted he went to early. He said he made a mistake. A flat out choke

Then Remco choked by not riding his bike. When he finally did, he made up 40 seconds on Pog on the climb to start the final lap, but by then it was too late. He couldn't quite close the gap, and allowed Pog to hang on for victory

 

[HashRouge]

race last year was not lame, imo.

it was a history-making raid that was truly amazing.

Yeah, I have to admit I liked it as well. When Pog first went I groaned because I thought it would be another "boring" solo, but it still felt like a lot happened over the final 100km and it was actually kind of exciting when it looked like Pog might have bitten off a bit more than he could chew. That said, this year I'd like something a bit different. I think it will be all out chaos to be honest, lots of good riders will be trying to get in an early break.

 

[topcat]

How did the conversation become about gts? Remco crushed the Pog today, when before hand we were told the Pog was the favourite. Remco is the better timetrialer. He looks good on a bike and Pog looks horrible. Pog is the better gt rider. And all of this is obvious.

 

[Red Rick]

wasn't lame at all.

Pog admitted he went to early. He said he made a mistake. A flat out choke

Then Remco choked by not riding his bike. When he finally did, he made up 40 seconds on Pog on the climb to start the final lap, but by then it was too late. He couldn't quite close the gap, and allowed Pog to hang on for victory

Evenepoel choked it by focusing on the TT so hard he couldn't drop climbers in a one day race anymore.

"he could have won" when he at no point dropped anyone from his group is just not a thing.

 

[houtdffan]

Evenepoel choked it by focusing on the TT so hard he couldn't drop climbers in a one day race anymore.

"he could have won" when he at no point dropped anyone from his group is just not a thing.

He actually did on the final lap. He was 25 seconds behind the vdp group at the start of the final lap. Dropped his group and dropped the vdp group. Cars were pulled between him and pog but the 1:15 gap was too much. Got to about 25 seconds

 

[RedheadDane]

That'll get ya slapped in California.

I'm not going to California.

 

[Escarabajo]

Today we saw the best TT in the world. Chapeau Remco.

Now, now, he looks really chunky. He can push that much power. I am not sure about his capabilities for podiuming the Tour, let alone winning another one again. But it is fun to watch in the TT!

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Amazing pacing from pornstache v$ne!!

 

[Red Rick]

Where on the cobbled climb did Evenepoel catch Pogacar? Pogacar lost 31s to Vine starting on the cobbled climb but and Evenepoel only gained 7s on Pog from the catch onwards

 

[Netserk]

He has lost to Remco in the first TT of the Tour 2 years in a row. No he wouldn't beat him. Remco is the best TTer in the world.

2025: 54 km/h, 1% difference
2024: 52.6 km/h, 0.7% difference

This was 48.9 km/h.