BinckBank Tour 2020 – Stage 4 Preview
By David Hunter
Out goes the flat 11km TT, in comes a lumpy 8.1km TT. Not what Stefan Küng would have wanted to hear.
As soon as the riders leave the start gate they are faced with the climb which is 700m at 7.3%.
This is perfect for the puncheurs to get off to a flying start, one that will be hard to catch up. The next 3km is slightly downhill, before a steep downhill section which leads into a short climb. The next 2km is fairly straightforward, then we have around 700m at 4%, with a fast descent in the final kilometre. The route is 8km long, with around 2km of climbing, which certainly swings it towards the puncheurs and not the TT specialists.
Weather
There will be rain around in the morning, but forecasts suggest this could lift for the stage. Heavy cloud will remain, which means a threat of rain throughout the day. The wind is quite strong, coming from the east, but it could be a little easier for the later starters, but this is not certain.
Contenders
Mads Pedersen – he can punch up small hills, and he certainly seems to be strong just now. He left the Tour with good legs and this is a big chance for him to post a fast time and take control of the GC battle. The only problem is that the TT also suits a few of his rivals. After finishing 1st and 2nd in the first two stages, he must be full of confidence and he’ll be wanting to attack the TT, as long as he gets dry conditions.
Søren Kragh Andersen – this TT is very good for him. He’s good in a flat TT, but the punchy hills are much better for him and mean he could go very close. He’s already 16 seconds down on Pedersen, if SKA wants to challenge for the overall win he needs to post a very fast time.
Mathieu Van Der Poel – if I didn’t know better I would assume the organisers made this TT with him in mind! The early hill is perfect, he’ll easily be the fastest up the climb. Can he then hold on for the rest of the stage? He normally rides in a fearless fashion, but with the classics just around the corner it would be foolish to take risks. He’s also said that he hasn’t touched his TT bike since Tirreno, but I’m not sure if that will be a problem given the route.
Alex Edmonson – this could be good for him. He’ll be out right at the start of the day, he might benefit from dry roads, but the weather Gods will decide that. The Aussie is very good in short TTs, he’ll expect a stint in the hot seat.
Stefan Küng – he’ll not be best pleased with the new route. The Swiss specialist was the big favourite to win the flat TT, but this one isn’t ideal for him. He should still post a good time, but I don’t see him winning.
Prediction Time
It all depends on the weather. There is every chance that some riders get wet roads and others don’t. If it does rain, the classics riders would be foolish to take any risks with the big races just around the corner. If we get equal conditions for all, I’ll take Mads Pedersen for another win. Who am I to argue with Tour Legs?
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