Remco Evenepoel secured consecutive stage wins at the 2026 Tour de France by claiming victory in the stage 16 individual time trial along the shores of Lake Geneva. The Belgian world time trial champion completed the 26-kilometre course in 32 minutes and 19 seconds, finishing 28 seconds ahead of the race leader Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia. This win narrowed Pogacar’s overall lead to four minutes and 32 seconds.

Evenepoel’s performance not only reduced Pogacar’s advantage but also extended his margin over Isaac del Toro of UAE Emirates XRG, who remains third in the general classification. Evenepoel increased his gap over del Toro from 58 seconds to more than two minutes and 19 seconds, strengthening his hold on second place. The Belgian rider, who also won the previous stage atop Plateau de Solaison, described the victory as a special moment, noting the presence of his family on the sidelines, and marking the achievement on Belgium’s national day.

The day was marked by a setback for Evenepoel’s Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe team when his teammate Florian Lipowitz, who finished third in last year’s Tour and was fifth overall before the stage, crashed approximately six kilometres from the finish. Lipowitz fell while negotiating a tight right-hand bend on a downhill section and was later confirmed to have sustained a broken collarbone, forcing him to abandon the race. His withdrawal follows that of Jonas Vingegaard, who also exited the race within the last 72 hours due to injury.

Despite the focus on the racing, the Tour continues amid ongoing scrutiny related to doping controls. Last Sunday, anti-doping officials from the International Testing Agency (ITA) conducted early-morning tests at the hotel rooms of Pogacar and Vingegaard, at 5 a.m. and 2 a.m. respectively. Although these visits were authorized by the Paris prosecutor’s office, the timing has provoked debate within the cycling community. Critics argue that such nocturnal testing infringes on athletes’ rights and question whether the legal justification was fully informed by cycling-specific expertise. Others, including some team managers and the ITA director of testing, defend the approach as part of targeted anti-doping efforts, stressing the balance between effective testing and respecting athletes’ welfare.

The results of the tests performed on Pogacar and Vingegaard have not been released, leaving the race to proceed under a cloud of uncertainty. Meanwhile, Pogacar appears on course to secure a record-equalling fifth Tour de France victory, with Evenepoel maintaining pressure as the main challenger in the closing stages.