After six days of racing on the 2024 Tour de France, the race as soon as once more turns its focus again to the GC contenders within the stage 7 time trial simply exterior Dijon.
The 25.3km check counts for fewer than half the time trial kilometres of this Tour, with the closing hilly TT in Nice sure to ship bigger time gaps. The general might properly have already got been determined by then, although after all, that is not the case at this early stage.
Tadej Pogačar, setting off final at 5pm native time, holds the yellow jersey and is heading right into a Tour de France time trial with the general lead for the primary time for the reason that penultimate stage three years in the past. At this early stage his benefit of 45 seconds is a full 5 minutes lower than that day, with the second-placed man, world time trial champion Remco Evenepoel, the title foremost on all people’s lips heading into Friday’s stage.
The Belgian, within the midst of his Tour debut, has carried out properly by the primary week even when he hasn’t, to this point, been capable of grasp on to Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard when the street has tilted uphill – at San Luca in Bologna and over the Col du Galibier.
His 45-second deficit to Pogačar got here completely on the street to Valloire on Tuesday however now, as the highest favorite to win stage 7, he’ll have his probability to make a bit of that point again up and probably commerce in his white jersey for the primary maillot jaune of his profession. His Soudal-Quickstep directeur sportif Koen Pilgrim stated on Thursday that the time trial fits Evenepoel whereas reminding that, in a race similar to this, he and the group can solely management what they do.
“It’s an vital stage after all, but it surely’s not the one which is able to determine the race,” Pilgrim stated. “We hope to win, not less than we’ll attempt to. That’s the purpose. Of course, if you happen to win you additionally take time on all people. That’s one thing that goes hand in hand.
“The solely factor you are able to do is go as quick from A to B as doable and that is all the things which is inside your individual management. What others do is one thing we will not management, so we simply do all the things to optimise Remco’s efficiency and we’ll see after the race what that brings us.”
Being in yellow and white, each Pogačar and Evenepoel will tackle the course – a principally flat run except for the mid-stage 4.7km, 3% hill – carrying the Tour’s Santini-supplied skinsuits.
Starting simply earlier than them, Vingegaard will take pleasure in his Visma-Lease A Bike group’s AGU equipment – a small benefit however not one more likely to affect the results of the stage in any significant means.
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Of better affect would be the course, itself, which is not overly technical. From Nuits-Saint-Georges, the riders will head west on the D35 – not a freeway however not a small, winding nation street both – on the best way to the primary checkpoint at Messanges, 8.6km in.
Just over a kilometre up the street, at L’Etang-Vergy, the climbing begins with the light 4.7km run to Curley and the second checkpoint. The climb averages out to a 3% gradient, although it isn’t a constant one as sections swing between 7% and a false flat earlier than hitting the stage’s highest level at 454 metres.
After the height, the street cuts off to the east and essentially the most technical part of the day, a descent in direction of checkpoint three at 19.9km. The final 5.4km brings a closing problem within the type of a flat, straight energy run north to Gevrey-Chambertin.
“It fits me properly,” Evenepoel instructed RTBF on Thursday. “It jogs my memory a little bit of the Critérium du Dauphiné time trial. There are false flats after which a bump. Power and place will rely. Then, the strongest will win.
“The primary goal is the stage victory. If I win, there shall be gaps. We will then see the outcome within the rating.”
Both Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates sports activities supervisor Joxean ‘Matxin’ Fernandez have named the Belgian because the favorite for the stage, although the Slovenian hasn’t performed down his personal possibilities of success in current days.
“He’s the world champion and he is proven many occasions that he can beat everybody,” he stated. “I believe he is the one to look to, however I believe I also can do a reasonably stable time trial. I am unable to wait to see how I can do.
“I’ll go together with full confidence going through towards Remco, the most effective time trialist on the planet most likely, plus Roglič and Vingegaard. I’m assured.”
Away from the general chief and the stage favorite, two-time Tour champion Vingegaard has flown comparatively underneath the radar. The Dane, like Evenepoel, has solely misplaced time to Pogačar on the Galibier and has to this point minimised any knock-on impact from his season-threatening Itzulia Basque Country crash and subsequent lack of race day preparation.
Based on the occasions of the previous two Tours – at Rocamadour and Combloux – a Vingegaard at 100% could be tipped to as soon as once more take time on Pogačar. Whether he can accomplish that right here stays to be seen.
He admitted that he hadn’t been capable of recon the time trial forward of the Tour and he too foisted favorite standing on Evenepoel.
“I have not seen the time trial course but, solely on video. I ought to have been there to do a recon of it however then I crashed and could not do it,” he told Cycling Weekly on Thursday. ” I believe usually Tadej is at all times doing fairly good time trials. So, for certain he shall be good. I suppose Remco would be the massive favorite. I’ll simply do my greatest after which we should see what the outcome shall be.”
Vingegaard’s former teammate Primož Roglič shall be aiming to make up time, mendacity 1:14 down on Pogačar, although on paper he needs to be the slowest of the ‘massive 4’ and has after all been the weaker of the quartet so far within the race.
Fourth-placed Juan Ayuso is one other to observe, too. The 21-year-old is the following massive factor in GC racing, and, even when his major position shall be supporting Pogačar in direction of Nice, he is gained time trials on the Tour de Romandie, Tour de Suisse and Tirreno-Adriatico, with Evenepoel and Filippo Ganna amongst his scalps.
Outside the GC battle, extra names are within the body, too. Perennial contenders together with Wout van Aert, Stefan Bissegger, Yves Lampaert, and Stefan Küng are all riders to observe.
“It’s tough to guage how it will be tomorrow,” Pilgrim concluded. “I believe actual specialists like Stefan Küng will even play a job. There’s an uphill in it however I do not suppose it will make an enormous distinction to the traditional specialists.”
Stage 7 time checks
- Km 8.6 at Messanges
- Km 14.4 at Curley
- Km 19.9 at Morey-Saint-Denis