Tour de France 2025: Remco Evenepoel dominates Stage 5 time trial as Australian riders shine

Australian duo Luke Plapp and Ben O’Connor turned heads with strong time trials, but it’s a third Aussie star who’s suddenly shaping as our best hope to claim a Tour de France stage win.

Tadej Pogacar, the superstar they are all chasing. Picture: AFP

It has been a brutal first five days in the Tour de France.

The tour is just getting faster each year and the quality of racing has been phenomenal with each stage delivering the intensity of a one-day classic.

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma Lease a Bike) have been the two dominant riders for the past five years, and for the first four days it looked like this was going to be a two-horse race.

Stage 5 last night changed all that.

Belgian superstar Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) delivered the individual time trial win that most predicted, but Pogacar was only 16 seconds back.

While the Great Dane Vingegaard was a staggering 13th, 1 minute 21 seconds behind the flying Belgian and 1.05 behind his main Slovenian rival.

The Visma team was at a loss to explain what went wrong after he had looked so strong in the early stages.

Luke Plapp was the fastest rider for more than half of the time trial stage. Picture: Getty

Aussie Luke Plapp rode a pearler to finish 9th, 1.17 from the win, but the boy from Brunswick was the fastest up to the second time check.

To be leading the best in the world for more than half the stage shows just how capable the young Melburnian is in the race against the clock.

“I’m pretty happy with that,” a smiling Plapp told CODE Sports just after the finish.

“I went out full gas and probably overcooked it a bit, but for that first 20 km, I felt great.”

Plapp is in the mix to win a stage in this Tour, but he will need to get into a breakaway and produce a performance similar to when he won Stage 8 in the Giro in May.

Luke’s Jayco AlUla team leader Ben O’Connor also put in a solid ride in the time trial.

The lanky West Australian, who has suffered since a spectacular Stage 1 crash, had a big smile on the face at the end of the time trial.

“That was one of the best time trials I’ve ever done power-wise,” O’Connor said.

“It’s been a bit frustrating because I rode so well on day one to gain time on some of the tour favourites and then to come crashing down in sight of the finish.

“But you just need to get on with the job.

“My knee is still swollen and it still hurts.

“Hopefully, I can just stay around this position and recover a bit, and then do my thing once we get to the mountains.”

Ben O'Connor crosses the finish line after the individual time-trial. Picture: AP

O’Connor was in obvious pain as he got into the streamlined time trial position at the start of Stage 5, but he improved with every pedal stroke and finished strongly to only lose 1.47 to Evenepoel.

He is now 17th overall, 4.07 behind Pogacar.

Jack Haig sits in 20th, 4.55 down, but his role as main climbing support for Bahrain Victorious leader, Santiago Buitrago, may not give him the opportunity to get up the road in the breakaways.

Kaden Groves looms as Australia’s best chance for a stage win.

The nine-time grand tour stage winner, riding his first Tour de France, was instrumental in the two victories for Alpecin-Deceuninck in stages one and two.

But with Belgian teammate Jasper Philipsen having to withdraw, Groves becomes the fastest in this talented squad.

Kaden Groves (Team Alpecin-Deceuninck) is possibly Australia’s best chance for a stage win. Picture: Getty

There are four stages to come that suit his all-round capabilities and he will be one of the favourites for the final stage in Paris.

“It’s been a bit of an emotional roller coaster over the past few days,” Groves said.

“To win the first stage and get that initial Yellow Jersey was something special, and for Mathieu to take it on Stage 2, and be a major part of that was just amazing.

“I’ve got to now step up and do my best, of course.

“I wasn’t expecting to be in this role and I spent the last month working on the strength side of things to help Jasper.

“I probably lack a bit of speed at the moment coming out of the Giro, a bit like a diesel.

“But as the race gets a bit harder, it will suit me a bit more.”

Harry Sweeny (EF Education-EasyPost) is expected to get into breakaways and will chase a stage win, improving on his third place in Stage 12 in 2021.

Sweeny is an opportunist. His aggressive style will put him in the frame.

Michael Storer is yet to make his mark and needs to make a breakaway in the upcoming mountain stages to be a real chance for stage honours.

* Former pro cyclist and veteran commentator John Trevorrow is on the ground in France, bringing expert insights and updates on the Aussie riders throughout the Tour for CODE Sports.

Originally published as Tour de France 2025: Remco Evenepoel dominates Stage 5 time trial as Australian riders shine