Remco Evenepoel found the right reflection in the lake

Belotorige, a druid of the Helvetii, claimed that the future was etched in the waters of Lake Léman – which wasn’t yet called that, but never mind – because the gods had imprinted joys and misfortunes upon its surface. It was by reading the ripples on the lake that he warned Caesar’s lieutenant in what is now Geneva, Titus Labienus, of the tragic fate that lay in store for his commander: death at the hands of a friend. Titus Labienus laughed and condemned him to stoning.

For centuries, many people believed that the future could be read from the surface of Lake Léman. This continued until the early 20th century. The last person capable of predicting what would happen by gazing into its waters was a man named Robert Hueller: he was imprisoned for fraud and took his own life in prison on 2 August 1914 after learning that Germany had declared war on Russia; for two years he had been saying that the world was nearing its end and that a war on a scale never before seen was imminent.

It is highly unlikely that Lake Geneva could hold the future etched upon its surface. Yet Remco Evenepoel was waiting precisely to understand what would become of his Tour de France whilst gazing at Lake Geneva. Had he seen the reflection of a rider who had won the time trial, nothing would truly have been out of reach for him and he could have clung to the hope of making it onto the podium. If, on the other hand, he had seen the reflection of a rider who had also been beaten in the time trial, all would have been lost.

Remco Evenepoel won the time trial at the Tour de France. The only individual time trial in the Tour de France. And not even one for specialists. A difficult time trial, with an uphill first section, a downhill second section and a flat third section, but with too many bends (as Florian Lipowitz can attest, having crashed and been forced to withdraw) to really go all out. He rode exceptionally well because that’s what he does best. All his rivals for the podium were more than a minute behind. Not Tadej Pogačar, though – he took 28 seconds longer than the world and Olympic time trial champion to complete the 26.1 kilometres of the 16th stage of the 2026 Tour de France.

After the finish, Remco Evenepoel was delighted; he was smiling, radiating a deep sense of calm – the sort felt by someone who knows they have done everything they possibly could. Not least because this is his second stage win in this Tour, his second in a row following Sunday’s victory.

After the finish, Tadej Pogačar was not happy; his face showed a pained tension, a sad dissatisfaction, as if a nagging thought were constantly buzzing round his head. It took him a while to find his smile again, but he did so thanks to Mads Pedersen, who popped over to ask the yellow jersey how it had gone. He replied that “Remco is just too strong”. Then he added, “in the time trial”. He’ll set off again in search of joy, trying to find it once more at the summit of some mountain.

After the stage finish, Paul Seixas was confident. In his first Tour de France – probably the only Tour de France in which he’ll be allowed the luxury of making a mistake – he made no errors, rode an excellent time trial, finished fourth and, from fourth place in the general classification, he too will set off again dreaming of and hoping for success in the mountains.