Stage 13 DS Insights Preview
🏁 Stage 13 Tour de France – Loudenvielle → Peyragudes (10.9 km ITT)
🗓️ Date: 18 July 2025
⛰️ Terrain: Mountain Time Trial — 2 km flat valley + 8 km climb (7.9% avg) to Peyragudes altiport
⏱️ TT Start: ~13:10 CEST, hill finish near airport
🎯 Theme: A pure race against the clock, steep enough to crack both GC heavyweights and punchy specialists.
🏟️ Abandoned
- Cees Bol (XDS Astana Team) – Did not Start (DNS).
🔥 Key TT Dynamics – What to Watch
- Brutal Climb: 8 km @ 7.9% — includes fierce closing ramps up to 13–16% near the altiport line.
- No Aero Tricks: Hill TT means no bike swaps—pure climbing legs all the way.
- Psychological Test: Final 1 km ramps without clear summit view—mental toughness matters.
🎯 Top Contenders
- Tadej Pogačar (UAE): After his Hautacam masterpiece, he’s the favorite. Sharp TT form + climbing legs.
- Jonas Vingegaard (Visma): Excelled in uphill TTs before. Stage suits his diesel style.
- Remco Evenepoel (Soudal–QuickStep): Winner of Stage 5 TT. Precision pacer thrives in lone efforts. Florian Lipowitz (Bora): Strong in climbs—dark horse for a podium surprise.
- Kevin Vauquelin and Oscar Onley: Consistent climbers. Not TT specialists but expected to defend GC spots.
🧠 DS Tactical Insight
- Pogačar Must Dominate: He can’t ride defensively here. Stage 13 is about extending that yellow lead.
- Vingegaard vs. Evenepoel: Huge moment in the battle for 2nd—Remco’s pacing vs. Jonas’ resistance.
- Lipowitz & Vauquelin: Both climbing well, racing on familiar gradients—could upset the expected order.
- Support Gaps: No Almeida, no Soler—Pogačar will climb alone, mentally and physically.
🔮 Who Could Win It?
| Rider | Why They Could Win |
|---|---|
| Pogačar | Dominant form, thrives on steep uphill finishes |
| Evenepoel | Best pure TT engine, excels at solo pacing |
| Vingegaard | When fresh, one of the most efficient uphill time trialists |
🏆 Overall Stakes
- Yellow Jersey: Pogačar aims to tighten his grip. No risks here—just control.
- White & KOM: Evenepoel keeps white, Martinez wears polka dot. Pogačar leads KOM on paper.
- Team Strategy: Visma will look for a turnaround in fortunes after the previous lack of result in stage 5 TT.
📢 DS Call Summary
“This is the true race against the clock—no drafting, no teammates, no mistakes. Pogačar must assert here again; any wobble, and Vingegaard or Remco can hit back. Evenepoel enters as the TT specialist, but Jonas may surprise uphill. Expect fireworks on that final ramp to Peyragudes—it’s another chance for someone to crack the Tour wide open.”
