Preview: What you need to know about stage 20 of the 2021 Tour de France
Preview: What you need to know about stage 20 of the 2021 Tour de France
Date: Saturday July 17
Start: Libourne
Finish: Saint-Émilion
Distance: 30.8 km (individual time trial)
The race’s second and final ITT isn’t particularly tough. It’s basically flat throughout and there are no particularly technical bits to make things tricky, so this should suit the powerful specialists.
What to watch for: Theoretically, this could be a last chance for GC riders to improve their overall standing, but Tadej Pogačar’s race lead is nearly unassailable, Jonas Vingegaard is unlikely to lose time to Richard Carapaz, and Ben O’Connor is more than two minutes off the podium, so the top end of the GC leaderboard is unlikely to change. In other words, the real storyline will be the fight for GC placings further back in the top 10, and the battle for the stage.
Who’s it for: The power TTers.
Dane Cash’s picks: For a time trial, this is a surprisingly tough stage to name a favorite for. Wout van Aert wasn’t quite as fast as expected in the first time trial, but he’s probably still the top pick here. Stefan Küng should be in contention as well, and Kasper Asgreen is another rider to watch. Just the same, don’t be surprised if Pogačar picks up another stage victory on Saturday, considering how good he is against the clock.
