After Dylan van Baarle had put in a solid time trial on behalf of the yellow and black team, it was Van Aert's turn. The 28-year-old Belgian dropped back a little on the flat but more than made up for it in the final kilometres. Van Aert rode an excellent race and was allowed to sit in the hot sea wint.

When Van Aert crossed the finish line, Vingegaard was the last to start the race against the clock. The yellow jersey was off to a fast start and was 16 seconds ahead of Pogacar at the first checkpoint. Vingegaard further extended his lead on the first climb and on the descent, before going into the final climb with half a minute advantage. Only to extend his lead even further. In the general classification, the gap to Pogacar has increased to one minute 48 seconds.

"I felt fantastic, but I also surprised myself a bit”, Vingegaard said. "This was the best time trial I have ever done. It started with the flat part and the first climb, where I went as fast as possible. After that, I hoped to recover on the descent and go all out on the final climb. It went incredibly well. The team also did a fantastic job guiding me through the day. I thank them from the bottom of my heart.”

Vingegaard could not believe his results. "I started to have doubts and thought my Garmin was broken. I had great legs. Now it's all about making a good plan for tomorrow. I expect attacks on my yellow jersey during the queen stage.”

"What Jonas demonstrated today is astounding”, Van Aert said. The Belgian time trial champion rated his time trial well but saw teammate Vingegaard go almost three minutes faster. "I'm happy with my performance. I hoped to have a bit more left in the last part because that was where it got tricky. On the climb, I was able to make up time for some of the riders who started faster. That makes me happy, but two riders stand out.”

Van Aert labeled today’s outcome a big step in the right direction. However, the Belgian remains wary. "The fact that Jonas won makes it a fantastic day for us. But we have to keep our heads up. There are still some tough days ahead. Anything can happen. The Tour is not decided until we get to Paris.”

Vingegaard's win brings Team Jumbo-Visma's season tally to 43. The Dane currently has 12 wins himself.