Tour de France Tour de France 2021, Stage 20: Libourne – Saint-Émilion, 30.8 km (ITT)

[Devil's Elbow]

Stage 20: Libourne – Saint-Émilion, 30.8 km (ITT)
An increasingly-rare second decent-length (but still only half the 1996 stage that played the same role that year) ITT to settle what hasn’t been settled in the GC. Can Pogacar go three for three in Tour de France time trials?

Map and profile

Route details
I’ll let the profile below do the talking. All-in all, flatter than the first-week TT.

Final kilometers

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

They kinda dropped the ball on this one. Should have been close to 60k if preceded by a flat stage.

And yes, it's almost pan flat.

 

[Leinster]

They kinda dropped the ball on this one. Should have been close to 60k if preceded by a flat stage.

And yes, it's almost pan flat.

If this would’ve been 60k, the first one would’ve been swapped out for another sub-4hr sprint stage.


I hope the likes of Kung and Bisseger have done a Chad Haga and saved their legs enough to make the stage win interesting, but I suspect the guy with the most rested legs is actually Pogacar.

 

[will-10]

I hope for Kung, I expect Van Aert.

 

[BlueRoads]

They kinda dropped the ball on this one. Should have been close to 60k if preceded by a flat stage.

And yes, it's almost pan flat.

In terms of GC podium I don't think a 60k length would have changed much. Pogacar vs. Vingegaard is not exactly climber vs. time trialer. Well, maybe Kelderman would have caught Carapaz. Thank god it's not 60k.

 

[Leinster]

In terms of GC podium I don't think a 60k length would have changed much. Pogacar vs. Vingegaard is not exactly climber vs. time trialer. Well, maybe Kelderman would have caught Carapaz. Thank god it's not 60k.

Carapaz beat Wilco by 5s in TT1. Ineos riders know how to TT, I don’t think adding another 30km would change things.

 

[spalco]

Carapaz beat Wilco by 5s in TT1. Ineos riders know how to TT, I don’t think adding another 30km would change things.

Btw. any chance for Carapaz to have a super TT and overtake Vingegaard?

 

[Bonimenier]

Btw. any chance for Carapaz to have a super TT and overtake Vingegaard?

No

 

[Leinster]

Btw. any chance for Carapaz to have a super TT and overtake Vingegaard?

I suppose it could happen, but that would still only be good enough for 4th on the stage behind VanAert and <pick any 2 Bahrain riders>.

 

[BlueRoads]

Carapaz beat Wilco by 5s in TT1. Ineos riders know how to TT, I don’t think adding another 30km would change things.

I don't know about the truth of this, but they said Kelderman was hindered by the consequences of the crash in the first tt, something with his wrist or arm I think, which hindered his tt position. He really should usually do better.

 

[Leinster]

I don't know about the truth of this, but they said Kelderman was hindered by the consequences of the crash in the first tt, something with his wrist or arm I think, which hindered his tt position. He really should usually do better.

Fair enough, but RC’s deficit to Pogacar was only 1.44, and less than a minute to some very solid TT riders. Wilco would have to pull out a big result to get back 3 minutes on Carapaz, even over 60km.

 

[Bonimenier]

Kelderman to overtake O'Connor.
Lutsenko to overtake Mas.
Bilbao to overtake Martin.

 

[SarahtheDane]

So who do we think will come second?

 

[Bonimenier]

Fierce battle tomorrow for who's going to be the worst BORA rider and who's going to be the best van Poppel.
Pretty impressive to have 3 teammates within 28 seconds after 19 stages tbh.

 

[Poursuivant]

WVA FTW.

 

[Tim Cahill]

We are quick to laugh at each other when we get things wildly wrong.
If someone aggressively shills their prediction constantly, risking mockery and ridicule, then they have to be credited if they get it right.
This stage is @Big Doopie 's victory lap.
#fignon84

 

[JosefK]

Pog again. No gifts.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Kelderman to overtake O'Connor.
Lutsenko to overtake Mas.
Bilbao to overtake Martin.

Unlikely
Very close, but I reckon not
Almost certainly

And given what happened in the Pyrenees, possibly Gaudu to overtake Uran.

 

[Big Doopie]

We are quick to laugh at each other when we get things wildly wrong.
If someone aggressively shills their prediction constantly, risking mockery and ridicule, then they have to be credited if they get it right.
This stage is @Big Doopie 's victory lap.
#fignon84

...well, well, well... even the internet can surprise sometimes. or perhaps @Tim Cahill is simply an extraordinary person!

...then again -- as I have also mentioned -- even a broken clock is right twice a day.

I also suggested back in early 2020 that the TDF that year might be made specifically to Pog's talents.

I guess I have now been right twice -- proving the dictum above to be correct.

;-)

 

[Cookster15]

Btw. any chance for Carapaz to have a super TT and overtake Vingegaard?

No.

 

[Cookster15]

The GC gaps in the top three will widen.

I think the biggest winning margin for the TdF in recent years was Nibali in 2014 - 7'39". Pogi has plenty of headroom to go ballistic. He will smash it. I still can't believe how fresh he looked on Luz Ardiden.

Vingegaard and Carapaz will consolidate their positions on the podium.

But I hope Ben O'Conner can hold onto 4th. He has 32 seconds on Kelderman. O'Conner seems to be recovering well so I think he'll do it comfortably. In the first TT Kelderman was only 7 seconds quicker. This is a great result for him and AG2R.

 

[Cookster15]

Kelderman to overtake O'Connor.

What makes you think that? The gap is 32 seconds and Kelderman was only 7 seconds quicker than O'Conner in the first TT. O'Conner doesn't seem to be tiring?

 

[Bonimenier]

What makes you think that? The gap is 32 seconds and Kelderman was only 7 seconds quicker than O'Conner in the first TT. O'Conner doesn't seem to be tiring?

I'm expecting Kelderman to do quite a bit better than last time. As BlueRoads said above Kelderman was hindered by a crash prior to the first TT. It's hard to imagine him finishing in the same time as Mas again.

 

[Cookster15]

I'm expecting Kelderman to do quite a bit better than last time. As BlueRoads said above Kelderman was hindered by a crash prior to the first TT. It's hard to imagine him finishing in the same time as Mas again.

Thanks. We will see.

 

[Red Rick]

Ladies and gentlemen

It is that time