Tour de France 2026 Favourites stage 16: Evenepoel versus Ganna

fotobureau Cor VosMultiple world champions Remco Evenepoel and Filippo Ganna are the leading favourites to win the individual time trial to Thonon-les-Bains, while Joshua Tarling will be hoping to steal the limelight. At the same time, the GC contenders also have a big day ahead of them. (Slideshow route/profile)

First published on 1 July - last updated 21 July: weather forceast updated

It has been a while since Filippo Ganna last got the better of Remco Evenepoel in a time trial. For that, we have to go back to the Vuelta a España in 2023. On that occasion, the Italian was 16 seconds quicker over a 25.8-kilometre course featuring a 600-metre climb at 6.5%, while the rest of the route was flat.

This time, the course is rather different, which plays even more into Evenepoel's hands. In fact, the route seems tailor-made for the Belgian. Right from the start, the riders tackle a 9.7-kilometre climb averaging 4.3%. It is uphill, but without brutally steep gradients, meaning the pace is likely to remain high and allowing Evenepoel to make the most of his aerodynamic advantage.

A descent followed by a flat to gently rolling section completes the 26.1-kilometre course.

Favourites 16th stage - 2026 Tour de France

*** Remco Evenepoel, Filippo Ganna
** Joshua Tarling, Tadej Pogacar, Tobias Foss, Juan Ayuso
* Daan Hoole, Paul Seixas, Brandon McNulty, Edoardo Affini

Weather forecast:
During the day, the wind in Evian-les-Bains is expected to shift from the north-west to the north over the course of the day, before turning back to the north-west later on. For the first riders, the wind in Thonon-les-Bains finish will be coming from the east, shifting to the west at around 14:00 (CEST) and then turning north-west and northerly later in the day.

Wind conditions will also vary along the route, meaning not all riders will face the same conditions. That said, the wind is expected to be fairly light, so hopefully it will have little impact on the result.

Start: 24°C, sunny, north-westerly wind (12 km/h)
Finish: 23°C, sunny, easterly wind (14 km/h), later turning northerly (11 km/h)

Another interesting read: route 16th stage 2026 Tour de France.