LAVAL, France - Tadej Pogakar waited until the final stage to take control of the Tour de France last year.
The young Slovenian rider made it this summer after only five stages, with a surprise performance in Wednesday's time trial that will not be forgotten by his rivals.
In the first major battle between the main contenders - a 27.2-kilometer (16.9-mile) test against the clock that came early in the race - Pogakar reigned supreme, giving himself the winning power to show himself as the odds-on favorite. Competition.
Pogakar said, "Today was a great day for me. I didn't make a mistake."
The 22-year-old UAE Team Emirates leader did not forfeit the yellow jersey, but gained time on his main rivals.
Just look at the loss: Pogakar was 44 seconds faster than last year's runner-up Primoz Rogi, while 2018 champion Geraint Thomas dropped 1 minute, 18 seconds. Former Giro champion Richard Carapaz, who had big ambitions at the Tour this year, was 1:44 off the pace.
World champion Julian Alaphilippe was among the losers of the day at 1:11 at Pogacar's pace.
The Tour is a crash race and remains wide open. But mountain stages in the Alps and Pyrenees will be crucial, and Pogacar proved last year - when he became the second-youngest winner in the race's history - that he can compete with the best climbers.
Also, they have a strong team this year and the Tour is less hilly. More importantly, there will be another long test on the program on the eve of the finale on the Champs Elysees.
Pogakar finished 39 seconds behind leader Matthew van der Poel at the start of Stage 5 in the western Mayen region on Wednesday and erased a substantial portion of the deficit to move to second place in the general classification.
Van der Poel has limited capabilities in the high mountains and is not expected to be in the mix after reaching the Alps later this week.
"I wouldn't put [the yellow jersey] in the mountains, but I love Tadej, he's a great guy and what he does is really amazing," van der Poel said.
Pogakar had no rivals on the technical loop from Changey to Laval. Even the best experts in the discipline could not challenge.
Pogakar exercised his power on long stretches of flat roads and did not lose his speed on the scattered hills along the way. Riding in an aerodynamic position, Pogakar perfectly negotiated the sharp curves of the finish and covered the route in 32 minutes at an average speed of 51 kilometers per hour (32 mph).
Pogakar snatched the yellow jersey in a high-drama time trial on the eve of the finish in Paris last year. He became the first rider on Wednesday since Bradley Wiggins in 2012 to win the Tour twice in a row.
Van der Poel fought hard in the closing stages and tried his best time to retain the coveted yellow jersey, crossing the tired line with his mouth wide open.
"I surprised myself today," said van der Poel, who rides for the Alpesin-Fenix team. "I'm really proud of this performance. It wasn't a lie when I said I was going to lose the jersey today, it's not my specialty."
Pogakar was 19 seconds faster than time trial specialist Stephen Kung. Jonas Winggaard was 27 seconds behind in third.
Overall, Pogacker is eight seconds behind van der Poel.
Roslik, who was Pogakar's main rival last year, said he was proud of his performance after his massive accident two days ago.
"It's hard, for sure. All the time tests are always very painful, let's call it that," Rogick said. "But I just missed some power. I really squeezed absolutely everything out of myself."
Thomas was also recovering from an accident and said he did his best.
"Obviously I didn't feel 100% but I don't want to bang on that, I tried to do what I could and it really wasn't enough," he said. "I woke up this morning and felt terrible, but once I got going and let loose it was better. It's one of those things you have to crack and deal with — I guess just keep fighting. "
Time-trial specialist Tony Martin, a partner of Rogick at Jumbo-Visma, was among the early starters. Under gray skies but dry roads, the four-time individual time trial world champion played it safe after his major accident in the race and crossed the line in 35 minutes, 33 seconds.
Denmark's Mikel Burge, a rising star in the discipline with three U23 titles in the race against the clock, dramatically improved Martin's time with 33:01.
Bjerg ended their run under a light drizzle and the rain later intensified, making the roads slippery for riders who started later. American Brandon McNulty was one of them and crashed, leaving the finish line well behind and bleeding from both legs.
Timings improved after the rain stopped and the roads dried up. Five-time Swiss champion Kung stayed in the hot seat for a while and looked dismayed when Pogakar crossed the boundary.