Tour de France 2018 Favourites stage 3: Team clash on trying course

It's been three years since the last time the teams went head-to-head on the Tour de France. Let's take a look at the strongest chrono squads in France. Who are likely to turn out on top on the tricky time trial course? (Slideshow route/profile)

The Tour de France’s 2015 edition featured its last team time trial. On a 28 kilometres course, which was pepped up with a nasty climb to the line, BMC won 1 second ahead of Team Sky with Movistar another 3 seconds further back. Both routes are somewhat similar, although that drag up to the line made the 2015 course just a bit more trying. Still, the team face quite a number of uphill stretches. The most demanding appears at kilometre 25 when the route climbs at 4% for 1.5 kilometres.

BMC is the team to beat. The two-time World Champion is the most successful chrono squad in recent years. In 2017, the Swiss/American team won all WorldTour team time trials with the exception of the most important one at the the Worlds. In Bergen, Norway, Team Sunweb powered to victory, although that course was a lot hillier than the Tour de France in Cholet.

In 2018, BMC outpowered their rivals in the TTT’s of the Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour de Suisse, while Sky took the win in the Critérium du Dauphiné. The course in Switzerland was similar to the demanding route of the Tour de France’s route, although it was somewhat shorter.

Both Sky and BMC are under extra pressure to perform, as their leaders (Richie Porte and Chris Froome) lost time in the 1st stage. Same goes for Mitchelton-Scott (Adam Yates) and Movistar (Nairo Quintana).