Stage 20 - Saturday, July 23: Saint-Etienne - Saint-Etienne ITT, 55 km
The showdown! All things being equal (and even with a few inequalitites) the individual time trial...
The showdown! All things being equal (and even with a few inequalitites) the individual time trial should provide a great spectacle at the end of a gruelling three weeks - Armstrong thrives in this race against the clock, and his dominance is well documented. But if we have a situation like 2003, this could be the clincher for the leader going into the stage, or it could provide the challenger with a whisker of hope. Here's hoping the weather stays fine and we get Ullrich out firing and witness Basso's improvement in time trialling, which has also been well-documented. The distance suits Armstrong, but the undulating terrain suits Ullrich's ability to push the big gears and power along. A surprise may be in the works, but chances are it'll come down to these two, regardless of where they are on GC - but it's also likely they'll both be at the pointy end of the field.
Start order
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Most Popular
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Ruben Guerreiro given yellow card for sparking Tour of Oman stage 2 crash
Teammate Ivan Roméo also given card at Volta a Valenciana for pushing Gianni Vermeersch off road -
Cowboy bar part of unique path at Rock Cobbler 12.0 for wins by Lance Haidet, Ruth Holcomb - Gallery
Peter Stetina goes back-to-back in extended Boulder Cobbler -
Three Days of Grenoble track meet cancelled due to financial and infrastructure problems
Event founded in 1971 and revived in 2023 and 2024 lost €25,000 per edition -
Best energy gels for cycling: Quick hits of carbohydrates for all your athletic endeavours
The best energy gels for cycling can boost your rides, races and workouts