Stage 20’s individual time trial (ITT) brought riders through one of the most prestigious wine-growing regions of France. The 30.8km parcours was surrounded by vineyards as riders made their way around a gently undulating route from Libourne to the commune of Saint-Émilion and while the wide-open and well-paved roads would mean riders would reach some high speeds, there were some twists and turns to be negotiated, as well as some shorter urban sections where street furniture could catch out the unwary. As the early starters made their way onto the course, the faster riders were posting times below forty minutes, with Daniel Oss posting a time of 39:51 as the first of the BORA-hansgrohe team to ride the course, followed immediately by Ide Schelling and Lukas Pöstlberger, finishing in 41:33 and 40:38 respectively. By the time Nils Politt and Emanuel Buchmann hit the road, the top times were edging closer to thirty-six minutes, the two Germans both coming across the line in a little more than forty minutes, with Patrick Konrad clocking in at 41:17. As the last day to take time for those with their sights set on the general classification, there would be some strong efforts coming in as the day neared its end. For Wilco Kelderman, the aim was to protect fifth spot in the overall standings and possibly challenge for fourth, with thirty-two seconds separating him from the next best-placed rider. Crossing the line with a time of 38:14, it wasn’t quite enough for the Dutch rider to jump a position, who was still suffering from his injuries sustained on yesterday’s stage, however, with the final GC standings unlikely to change after the ride to Paris, Wilco was a step closer to confirming his top-five finish tomorrow.
Results
01 W. Van Aert 35:53
02 K. Asgreen + 0:21
03 J. Vingegaard + 0:32
…
26 W. Kelderman +2:20
From the Finish Line
“It was a tough course, bumpy, up and down, and a pretty normal day for me. Today, it wasn’t about setting a particular pace but rather about what you had left in your legs after three weeks of hard racing. Obviously, I aimed at edging up to 4th overall, so I’m a bit disappointed in that aspect, but also happy with 5th. I’m 11 seconds behind O’Connor in the GC, which depending on one’s point of view, could be considered a small gap but I’m still behind him. I knew it was going to be close because Ben wasn’t far behind in the first TT either. I gave it my absolute all and it’s the best I could have done today. It’s nice to have a nice GC position in the Giro and the Vuelta, but the Tour de France is the biggest race in the world and you want to have the best performance possible. I achieved that and I feel happy and proud. I think we had a successful Tour de France and it’s a nice feeling for the riders and the team.” – Wilco Kelderman
“Wilco did a good TT, taking into consideration his crash yesterday. A number of times during the TT he wasn’t able to take the best aero position and didn’t ride as aggressively as we were hoping, hadn’t he suffered a crash. We are happy in that aspect, he’s very close to 4th overall, just 11 seconds behind, but we are satisfied with 5th. Tomorrow, we’ll have to be careful and avoid losing that place. Normally, the last stage is just a procession to Paris but you never know, you have to be focused. All in all, we’re happy with our GC position and our two stage wins.” – Enrico Poitschke, Sports Director
