Tour de France 2014 Favourites stage 20: Potentially decisive time trial

Saturday Jul 26th, 2014 - In the penultimate stage the battle is on in a race against the clock. Over an undulating terrain, riders take in a 54 kilometre route from Bergerac to Périgueux. Tony Martin is the big favourite, but how will the GC men do it what is the final chance to take time on rivals? (Slideshow route/profile)

Today’s route is mainly flat with five short climbs, neither of which should upset powerful riders. It’s also not a very technical route so riders like Tony Martin can keep their foot on the gas for long periods at a time.

Favourites

Tony Martin
TT World Champion Martin recently showed his skills in the two time trials of the Tour de Suisse, winning both. He’s at his best on long straight roads but is perfectly capable of negotiating the bumps today and winning the stage.

Tom Dumoulin
The 23-year old Dutchman looks the most likely to take Tony Martins crown in year’s to come. 2nd to the German twice in Switzerland while winning the TT at the Criterium International, Dumoulin will expect a good result today.

GC Riders
Probably not stage win material, but GC riders with good time trial skills are Vincenzo Nibali and Tejay van Garderen.