Two GC defeats in two days in the Tour de France normally do not do wonders for a rider's morale. But after Friday's time trial, when he talked to reporters, Jonas Vingegaard both looked and sounded like a man with a completely renewed spirit to fight for the GC between here and Paris,

1. Tadej Pogacar, Slovenia, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, 23:00. 2. Jonas Vingegaard, Denmark, Team Visma ' Lease a Bike, 23:36. 3. Primoz Roglic, Slovenia, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, 24:20. 4. Florian Lipowitz, Germany, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, 24:56.

While Tadej Pogacar has been enjoying a dream Tour de France run this year, his main rival Jonas Vingegaard and his once almighty team are now closer to third than first place after just one high mountain stage on Thursday.

"You have to be positive, otherwise we wouldn't even start the Tour after the Dauphiné, you know?" said Sepp Kuss, one of Vingegaard's longest-standing domestiques, also saying, "You can never be surprised anymore" about Pogačar's dominant ride on stage 12.

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, celebrates winning the thirteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race, an individual time-trial over 10.5 kilometers (6.5 miles) in the Pyrenees mountains with start in Loudenvielle and finish in Peyragudes, France, Friday, July 18, 2025. Credit: AP/Thibault Camus

Two days later, on stage four to Rouen, Vingegaard resembled one of the world’s best puncheurs, as well as one of its best climbers. Following Pogacar’s attack in the closing kilometres, Vingegaard produced the best one-minute power effort of his career, matching the Slovenian’s famed acceleration.

The Tour de France enters the Pyrenees on Thursday. Here's how to watch all 180km from Auch to Hautacam at no cost.