Morning all, TT day today, possibly the first big GC day of the tour. CycleStages, what’s going on?

Stage 13 on the Tour de France is an out-and-back ITT in Pau. It is the only chance for time trialists to shine this edition. The distance is limited though – only 27.2 kilometres.

Pau and La Grande Boucle belong to each other like a dog to its boss. It is the most visited location in Tour de France history. In the past nine editions, the race visited the town in the Pyrenees foothills nine times. The last two arrivals both boiled down to a bunch sprint with Arnaud Démare (2018) and Marcel Kittel (2017) storming to victory.

No bunch sprint this time though. The Tour de France serves its only ITT on a course of 27.2 kilometres that’s characterized by a number of gently rolling uphills, while the more punchy Côte d’Esquillot is the biggest hurdle. The 1.1 kilometres ramp slopes at almost 8%. The Esquillot may be the biggest hurdle, the finale holds a steep surprise up its sleeves. In the last few hundred metres the riders hit a 17% ramp. Short but hard, especially since the kick up begins right after a tight turn onto the Rue Mulot and the speed will be relatively low.

Pau was home to an ITT on the Tour de France only once. In 1981, Bernard Hinault took the 6th stage and the yellow jersey in a race against the clock. He retained in yellow all the way to Paris.

Intermediate time checks are at kilometre 7.1 (after a rolling uphill), at kilometre 15.5 (atop the Esquillot), and at kilometre 21.9 (in the vineyards of Jurançon).

The profile?

Who’s in the mix? Inrng?

The Contenders: Wout van Aert won the time trial in the Critérium du Dauphiné and by some margin. Jumbo-Visma have had a great Tour so far and he’s a contender to win again today but how tired is he, he’s never done a stage race this long and race over mountains yesterday that aren’t his thing. Tony Martin used to be a certain pick but a reminder that he hasn’t won a World Tour level time trial since 2015.

Geraint Thomas is one of several contenders from Team Ineos. We’ve only had glimpses at his form so far, be it his jump atop the Planche des Belles Filles or chasing back to the peloton on the stage to Saint-Etienne but each time he’s looked convincing to the point where he should take time on GC rivals today and also has a shot at the stage win. It’ll depend on tactics and ambition but Michał Kwiatkowski could also have a shot today.

Of the other GC contenders perhaps only Richie Porte has the pedigree to win the stage today, this seems unlikely as his form’s still in doubt but this is his day to move up the GC.

Deceuninck-Quickstep have three goes to today in Yves Lampaert, Kasper Asgreen and Julian Alaphilippe. Lampaert is strong but his challenge is the hilly, technical first half while Asgreen’s was second to Lampaert in the Tour de Suisse TT in Goms but has been toiling all week. Alaphilippe’s won time trials before and be roared on by the crowds.

Now for a few outside specialists. Movistar’s Nelson Oliveira has won some time trials before but never at this level. Mitchelton-Scott’s Luke Durbridge could try but will Durbo want to deploy the turbo or his he 100% in for Adam Yates. Katusha-Alpecin’s Alex Dowsett is an infrequent winner but seems in good form and Nils Politt almost won in Paris-Nice but both could find the first part of the course ruinous. Groupama-FDJ’s Stefan Küng is also a big rider who could find the course too hilly. Team Sunweb have two picks in Giro TT stage winner Chag Haga and Søren Kragh Andersen ahead of Wilco Kelderman.

Yesterday?

Rohan Dennis out? – 😵

I’ll go with Thomas second and Kwiatkowski on the top step.

Hmm..

Groenewegen Or Van Aert, with Ineos filling the top 5.

Thats about it.

Another dull stage.

Them Yates lad really need to change their eye wear, it looks poor.

Why is Dennis out?

No idea who’ll win, but this ITT is interesting more to see how it shuffles the GC contenders heading into the next 2 mountain days with summit finishes, and who will – or will not – be keeping a good balance between not losing too much time and keeping plenty in the tank. I’d expect key mountain domestiques who are not GC contenders to be not trying too hard. Pressure is on Alaphilippe as he has the pressure of the yellow jersey and will be more likely to go all out today, which would risk his mountain performance.

Still, ITTs are never as interesting, and for me it’s better to watch the highlights 🙂

Tough to judge. G is the obvious pick but there’s a huge day in store tomorrow and I’m not sure he’ll want to empty the tank before it. I suspect the rest of Ineos will also take it easy.
Van Aert isn’t a bad shout, Tony Marton maybe?

Hope Alex Dowsett does well – 6-times national champion and he’ll be emptying the tank for a certainty, riding like the there is no tomorrow, fk the Tourmalet.
Isolated TT he’d be in the mix for sure, but he’s not all that seasoned a GT rider so mid-tour it’s a different game I guess.

@mt – no idea about Rohan Dennis. From the post-ride interviews yesterday neither has his team manager. Nothing physical apparently, he just stopped and got off his bike.

(A bit) more here – https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/49039055

Suggestion in some reports is he has strugled mentally recently… hopefully he is ok

Lad ITK on another forum reckoned it was more of a toys pram based issue, been arguing with the team over TT equipment for a while, wanted to go in the break yesterday and was told to chill etc.
tbh if he’s had to pull out to get his head together then that is much more serious, but a very good reason for stopping. If he’s just rage-quit then that is something he’ll regret. I guess the most likely thing is that it is a bit of both – hope he is OK like you say.

Them Yates lad really need to change their eye wear, it looks poor.

Their helmets are odd too, especially the TT ones.

TT is usually really dull to watch but with Rohan Dennis out, it’s actually opened things up a bit more.

Hopefully a good showing from Dowsett in his National Champs stripes and from Thomas.

sponsor kit, not the best looking stuff but if it works who gives a shit they don’t wear it on the podium 😀 , don’t think they are complaining about the bikes.

Tony Martin “soft pedaling” round, what is with these TT specialists ?

WvA out – big crash looks to be out of the tour as well 🙁

🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁

Didn’t look happy did he..😵

That crash of WvA looked nasty. Still on the deck.

What happened?

What happened?

got caught up on a barrier at high speed and went down hard.  No spectators involved, just seemed to catch the barrier.

ooof

Sharp RH bend near the end. Looks like he caught the inside barrier on the crown of the bend, no spectators there so not someone leaning out to catch a glimpse, not sure if he caught his shoulder or pedal.

Someone tweeted (then deleted) a close up – his knee jammed in a gap in the barrier.

‘career ending’ might not be over stating the extent of the injury to his leg

How Alex Dowsett continues to get WT contracts absolutely amazes me!

Very nasty for WvA…..read that he may have a nasty puncture wound on Twitter.

he may have a nasty puncture wound

it could be bone sticking out from what I saw 🙁

Sagan!!!!

How Alex Dowsett continues to get WT contracts absolutely amazes me!

He’s a domestqiue with a good engine.
Solid TTer, useful for a TTT, very good leadout man for the early part of it, good engine to chase breaks.

it could be bone sticking out from what I saw 🙁

That’s what I was wondering.  It looked like they were trying to keep him covered – from cameras I guess 🙁

I get that he’s an absolute monster engine. But he hardly ever even rides! This is only his fourth ever GT and he didn’t finish in one of his others!

From guardian
3m ago
15:31
Wout van Aert update: “ Belgian TV talked to Van Aert’s girlfriend,” writes Franky Vlaeminck. “Apparently no broken bones but a deep cut in the upper thigh is the worry.”

Some pics of a VERY nasty flesh wound on WVA’s thigh, huge gash. Hope that’s all it is.

His team are suggesting no broken bones too. That rider Schachmann does not look in good shape (both literally and figuratively) collarbone?

It wasn’t a fast corner, he’d dropped from a flat’ish section into the corner and clipped the barriers..

Looked quite a simple corner, about 90deg, but caught the barrier mid bend and came down.

Hope he heals well, without complications 😘😘🥇

I read that his thigh was literally cut to the bone on the barrier.

Tony Martin was about 6.5 minutes down on de Gendt at the finish. I’m thinking that Thomas will beat de Gendt but unless he has the ride of his life he’ll probably not quite go fast enough to put Martin outside the time limit. How crazy would it be if he did though!

Tony Martin was about 6.5 minutes down on de Gendt

That is a man who was soft pedaling all the way round.

I read that his thigh was literally cut to the bone on the barrier.

Could be, either way it was nasty.

🤐🤒🙏

That is a man who was soft pedaling all the way round.

There’s rules about that – not trying hard enough, disrespecting the sport etc. Be interesting to know his reasoning behind just cruising around.

I cannot fathom the rationale of Bardet in changing bikes on such a short TT! He didnt even seem to be switching with any urgency!