Le 18 July 2023, a man put professional cycling in a state of total astonishment. Indeed, during the 16th stage of the Tour de France, a time trial of 22 kilometers between the municipalities of Passy and Combloux, Jonas Vingegaard crushes the stage with a time of 32 minutes and 55 seconds, with abysmal gaps over his opponents. A victory which opens the way to his second consecutive coronation at the Tour de France.
This astonishing performance by the Danish Jumbo-Visma rider ranked 6th in our Cycling Times rankings.
A completely unexpected scenario
We are the 18 July 2023. After the second day of rest, the clash between the yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar for the yellow jersey is at its climax. Indeed, the difference between the two phenomena is only 10 seconds, after 15 steps.
The 16th stage of the Tour de France comes at a good time, since it is a time trial uphill 22,4 kilometers between the municipalities of Passy and Combloux. A moderately long time trial which should give rise to a new close duel between Pogacar and Vingegaard.
And yet, the outcome of this step will be unexpected.
From the first kilometers of his time trial, Jonas Vingegaard sends us the message that he came here to win the Tour de France a second time in a row. From the first intermediary, the yellow jersey takes the lead with a lead of 17 seconds on a Tadej Pogacar who also left very quickly.
Ensuite, the Dane swallows the turns of the Passy descent at phenomenal speed, taking big risks. In the flat portion preceding the final climb, despite its low weight but thanks to a very aerodynamic position, he further widens the gap compared to the white jersey.
Then comes the foot of the famous Côte de Domancy. Unlike Tadej Pogacar, who opts for their lighter mountain bike, Jonas Vingegaard decides to keep his chrono bike. A wise choice, because despite the weight of its Cervélo P5, Danish climber swallows 2 500 meters to 9,4% from the coast of Domancy at stratospheric speed.
At the second intermediate, location of the summit of the Côte de Domancy, Vingegaard is now 1min5sec ahead of Tadej Pogacar. An already enormous chasm that will only get worse. In the last part of the final climb, Jonas Vingegaard gets back into his aero position and maintains it until the end.
At the arrival, the yellow jersey wins 32 minutes and 36 seconds, in front of Tadej Pogacar (at 1 min 38 sec) and his Belgian teammate Wout van Aert (at 2min51 sec). A monumental performance which allows its author to increase his lead in the general classification and fly towards a second victory in the Tour de France.
A historic performance and questions
Laurent Jalabert : Stratospheric ! The Dane is huge !
Alexandre Pasteur : Mesospheric ! The Dane is monstrous, the title holder !
Laurent Jalabert and Alexandre Pasteur during the 16th stage of the Tour de France, vers 12min06.
Commentators Alexandre Pasteur and Laurent Jalabert, usually measured in their comments on France Télévisions, released the strongest superlatives to qualify Jonas Vingegaard's time trial.
Well-placed superlatives, since the now double winner of the Tour de France achieved one of the greatest performances of all time. the Dane even confided a few minutes later to the microphones of France.tv that he was incredulous at the power he produced during his time trial. :
Jonas Vingegaard during his interview after the 16th stage of the Tour de France.
The gaps between Vingegaard and the rest of the peloton are irrational, and the figures confirm the absurd domination of the Dane in this time trial. In 22,4 chrono kilometers, Jonas Vingegaard relegated Tadej Pogacar to 98 seconds, i.e. 4.38s/km.
This is the largest gap per kilometer between first and second at the Tour de France since Federico Bahamontes' victory in 1962. This year, on the slopes of Superbagnères, the late Spanish climber had stuck 1 minute and 25 seconds to his Belgian runner-up Joseph Planckert in 18,5 kilometers of running, either 4,96 s/km.
On his teammate Wout van Aert, third in the stage, there is a gap of 171 seconds (+2min51), either 7,63 s/km. Only the performance of Bahamontes in 1959 at Puy de Dôme surpasses this figure since on 12 kilometers, the Eagle of Toledo had relegated the Frenchman Henry Anglade to 3 minutes, either 15 s/km.
Never Eddy Merckx, Lance Armstrong, or even Miguel Indurain have won their times with such a gap. This physical feat of Jonas Vingegaard is all the more irrational as it occurs in increasingly professionalized cycling., where the level becomes more and more homogeneous between the teams and between the riders.
And this performance gets crazier and crazier if we take into account Vingegaard's past among the hopefuls. Certainly, the Dane won the hill prologue of the Giro Ciclistico della Valle d’Aosta Mont Blanc in 2018, suggesting a future as a good climber, but never a trajectory similar to the one he has been surfing since 3 years, with two Tour de France and monstrous performances.
Jonas Vingegaard’s time trial leaves no one indifferent, and reignites suspicions of doping to a level rarely reached. Everywhere, in press articles, bike forums, social networks, this suspicion reigns, where the majority of cycling followers question the integrity of the Danish Jumbo-Visma rider.
A performance that will remain whatever happens, in the history of the Tour de France.
