Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel proved why he is the reigning World Time Trial Champion as he edged general classification leader Tadej Pogačar to win the Stage 7 individual time trial and cut into Pogačar’s lead. 

Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) completed Friday’s 15.7-mile route from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin 12 seconds faster than yellow jersey wearer Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), narrowing Pogačar’s overall lead to 33 seconds. Evenepoel leads the contest for the white jersey, awarded to the best young rider under 26, and sits in second place in the general classification standings.

Stage 7 was the first of the 2024 Tour de France's two individual time trial stages. The next time trial will be the last stage of the race, which means the leader could be determined in the final leg.

This victory marked Evenepoel’s first career Tour de France stage win. 

“We wanted a stage win, and that is done. It's a perfect day for me and my team. Mission accomplished,” Evenepoel said. 

Although Pogačar saw his lead shrink, he said he still considered Friday’s outing a win. 

“To lose against Remco, World Champion, the best time trialist right now, it’s still a pretty good feeling,” Pogačar said. 

Nevertheless, the heavy favorite acknowledged that the battle for the top spot is intensifying, adding that he needs to “keep an eye on” Evenepoel, as well as Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) as the race progresses. Roglic and Vingegaard finished in third and fourth place, 34 and 37 seconds behind Evenepoel, respectively. 

“Right now it’s really close and for me, it’s better to be in the lead than be chasing,” Pogačar said.

As for his own prospects, Evenepoel remains cautiously optimistic.

“I believe Tadej is going to be unreachable,” Evenepoel said. “But this is cycling, you never know what can happen. I think the further into the race we go, the better I will feel, so I’ll focus more on the podium because I feel I have the legs for it.”

American rider Matteo Jorgenson (UCI WorldTeam Visma-Lease a Bike) also recorded a seventh-place finish, enough to move him into ninth place overall in the general classification standings. 

Here's a full look at the 2024 Tour de France standings after seven competition stages.

Tour de France Stage 7 results

TOUR DE FRANCE: Recap, results and standings after Stage 6

Tour de France general classification standings after Stage 7

Tour de France jersey standings after Stage 7

• Yellow (general classification): Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
• Green (points classification): Biniam Girmay (Intermarché - Wanty)
• Polka dot (mountains classification): Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility)
• White (young rider classification): Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep)
• Yellow numbers (teams classification): UAE Team Emirates
• Golden numbers (combativity award): N/A

Tour de France Stage 8: How to watch, schedule, distance

Date: Saturday, July 6, 2024

Location: Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-Les-Deux-Eglise (France)

Distance: 114 miles (183.5 km kilometers)

Type: Flat stage 

Streaming: Peacock, FuboTV

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