Tadej Pogačar delivered a commanding performance on stage 13 of the Tour de France, conquering the 10.9km uphill time trial to Peyragudes and extending his overall lead to 4:07. On a punishing Pyrenean day, the Slovenian was in a class of his own, riding a road bike and forgoing a race radio as he crushed his rivals with his fourth stage win of this year’s race.
The stage began with a short flat section of 2.9km before the riders hit the 8km climb to Peyragudes, with sustained gradients over 9% and a brutally steep final ramp. Riders faced the additional challenge of a hot afternoon and the accumulated fatigue of twelve demanding stages. To reduce the risk of mass eliminations, the time cut was extended to 40%, with the winning time expected to hover around 22 minutes.
Luke Plapp set an early benchmark with a strong 24:58, a time that stood for much of the day. While riders like Lenny Martinez, Santiago Buitrago, Bruno Armirail and Julian Alaphilippe failed to beat it, it took a GC contender to finally reset the clock. That came when Primož Roglič crossed the line in 24:20, taking 38 seconds off Plapp’s time and providing the first serious GC reference.
Remco Evenepoel looked strong in the early metres and clocked the second-best time at the first check, four seconds behind Pogačar and ahead of Vingegaard. But as the road began to bite, the Belgian faded dramatically. By the second intermediate split, Pogačar led Vingegaard by 23 seconds and Evenepoel by 1:20. Even worse for Evenepoel, Vingegaard, who had started two minutes after him, caught and passed him in the final 100 metres.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Billy CeustersPogačar had no such struggles. He paced his effort with precision, drawing energy from the roadside timing boards and trusting his feel rather than feedback from a team car. Despite admitting that he almost blew up in the final kilometre, he summoned a last effort when he realised the win was within reach. He crossed the line in 22:19, beating Vingegaard by 36 seconds and Roglič by 1:20.
The time gaps behind them told the story. Evenepoel slumped to 12th on the stage, losing 2:39 and holding onto third overall by just six seconds over Florian Lipowitz, who impressed with fourth place on the day. Matteo Jorgenson and Oscar Onley also rode strongly, finishing sixth and seventh respectively. Onley moved up to fifth overall, while Jorgenson remains in tenth, both gaining ground on rivals who faltered.
After the stage, Pogačar reflected on his equipment choice and strategy. He said the decision to ride a road bike was based on comfort and the ability to push more power. “We did the calculations,” he said. “If you can’t push as much on the TT bike, it’s about the same time. I felt more comfortable, and it worked for me.”
Vingegaard, despite losing more time, was encouraged. “I’m happy I found my legs again,” he said. “Yesterday was a disaster. Today I felt like myself.” He remains second overall, but the gap to Pogačar continues to widen.
Evenepoel, visibly disappointed, admitted his performance had fallen far below expectations. “Normally, I’m top three in a time trial like this. I had nothing on the climb,” he said. “It was just a very bad day.”
For Cofidis sprinter Bryan Coquard, the stage marked the end of his Tour. Still racing with a broken finger from stage 12, he completed the time trial in visible pain, finishing 152nd. He confirmed after the stage that he would not take the start on Saturday, ending his eighth Tour de France early.
As the peloton looks ahead to the queen stage to Superbagnères, with over 5,000 metres of climbing, Pogačar’s dominance continues to cast a long shadow over the race.
2025 Tour de France Stage 13 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: A.S.O./Billy Ceusters
