Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel secured a dominant victory in the 16th stage of the 113th Tour de France, a 26.1km individual time-trial held on Belgium's national holiday.

The 26-year-old world and Olympic time-trial champion shaved 28 seconds off reigning champion Tadej Pogacar's overall lead, reducing his advantage to 4min 32sec.

Evenepoel's performance, which included a remarkable 14sec gap over Pogacar at the second time-check, marked his fourth stage win of the Tour and third in time-trials.His victory was celebrated on the shores of Lake Geneva, with family members present for the historic moment.However, the day was marred by an injury to teammate Florian Lipowitz, who crashed heavily and was hospitalized.Despite the setback, Evenepoel's team expressed pride in his achievement, highlighting the significance of the win on Belgium's national day.

The result extended Evenepoel's lead over third-placed Isaac del Toro to over two minutes, solidifying his position as a key contender in the overall standings.