If Monday’s time trial at the Tour de France was “the test of truth” — as Bradley Wiggins’ main rival Cadel Evans had said it was — then the Englishman passed it with flying colors.
The 31-year-old Olympic champion, aiming to be the first British winner of cycling’s showcase race, sped to victory in the first big time trial on the ninth stage, consolidating his grip on the race leader’s yellow jersey.
“That was my physical best out there,” he said of the race against the clock — a discipline he loves — in the 41.5km jaunt from Arc-et-Senans to Besancon, France. “It’s probably my best time trial ever.”
Photo: EPA
Defending champion Evans of Australia, seen as Wiggins’ greatest threat, placed a disappointing sixth.
He called Wiggins and Sky teammate Christopher Froome, who was second, “very, very, very strong riders.”
A day earlier, Evans was all too aware of the important stakes in the time trial.
Photo: EPA
“Tomorrow is the test of truth. It’s each with their own two legs,” he said.
Wiggins put to work skills that he developed while training to become an Olympic pursuit gold medalist, pedaling with rhythmic and aerodynamic discipline to win, 35 seconds faster than Froome.
Evans was 1 minute, 43 seconds behind. He remains second overall, trailing Wiggins by 1:53. Froome rose to third, from sixth, and is 2:07 behind his teammate.
Photo: EPA
“I was really motivated — the time trial is my thing,” Wiggins said, adding that he had worked hard on his riding position, breathing and study of the course. “I am very happy now.”
Overall, Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali is in fourth, 2:23 behind, Denis Menchov of Russia is fifth, 3:02 back, and Spain’s Haimar Zubeldia sits sixth, 3:19 off the leader’s pace.
Wiggins has been the odds-on favorite to win after showing dazzling form with three stage-race victories this season. At the Tour, he was fourth in 2009, placed a disappointing 24th in 2010 — just behind Lance Armstrong, riding on his final Tour — and he crashed out last year.
As the 99th Tour continues, Team Sky are likely to shelter Wiggins in the flats, and escort him up Alps and Pyrenees by pressing the pace with him in their draft — trying to wear out his rivals.
Then, it will be up to Wiggins to pull out his solo finesse again in the penultimate stage — an even longer 53km time trial from Bonneval to Chartres, France, before an often-celebratory ride to the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
Wiggins insisted the three-week race is far from over, saying a crash or illness could douse his victory hopes. He also noted that Evans has vowed to fight to the finish.
“It’s never over until the fat lady sings, and she hasn’t entered the building yet,” he said.
However, the stage raises questions about whether Evans — or anyone else — can challenge Wiggins and his teammates, who have shown strength on both the climbs and in the time trials that often determine the Tour winner.
For the Australian, it will mean trying to attack on the climbs. Two uphill finishes remain, one each in the Alps — tomorrow — and in the Pyrenees next week.
For Wiggins, after his physical dominance so far, the task might be psychological — holding on to the yellow jersey for nearly two weeks comes with potentially heavy mental strain on both its bearer and his teammates.
If Wiggins goes the rest of the way in yellow, it would mark the first time that only two riders had worn the leader’s jersey in a Tour since Armstrong took it from Estonia’s Jaan Kirsipuu en route to winning the first of his seven titles in 1999.
Wiggins, who has the vocal support of Froome in his title quest, entered the stage looking to move up in the overall standings — and a stage victory was not his top priority.
“My goal was to get a minute on Cadel ... I’ve come away with a bit more than that, it’s a bonus,” Wiggins said. “Winning the stage is like Christmas — it’s brilliant.”
Riders set off one by one down the starter’s ramp for the time trial.
By the first time check, at 16.5km, Evans was more than a minute slower than Wiggins, but was able to limit the damage.
On one of the warmest days so far on the Tour, many riders crossed the finish with white spittle ringing their lips, a sign of dehydration. Unlike usual road stages, time trials require solo efforts, placing additional importance on form, concentration and rhythm.
Evans was “a little bit disappointed,” but insisted his Tour was not over.
“I rode not my best time trial, but certainly not a bad one,” he said.
Evans said he would “fight to the end,” but acknowledged he faces a bigger hurdle than last year, when he overcame a 57-second deficit to Andy Schleck in the final time trial a day before the finish in Paris.
The Tour “hasn’t been optimal” so far, and he was “not in the best position to be in compared to last year,” Evans said.
Meanwhile, confidence was rising at Team Sky.
Sports director Sean Yates said Wiggins “took quite a chunk off Cadel ... honestly, I was a bit surprised to see how much time he took off Cadel.”
“It’s not gonna be easy for Cadel,” Yates added, saying the possibilities of Evans regaining time “are relatively limited ... but we all know he’ll keep fighting. He’s an ex-world champion. There will never be a lack of respect.”
Tejay Van Garderen, a BMC teammate of Evans, surprised even himself with a fourth-place finish, 1:06 back of Wiggins.
The 24-year-old American was nine seconds slower than third-placed Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland, one of the world’s top trialists. The Swiss rider won the opening-day time trial and wore the yellow jersey for seven days, until Wiggins captured it on Saturday.
Cancellara plunged out of contention for the coveted yellow jersey in Sunday’s ride along seven climbs — finishing nearly 12 minutes behind Wiggins.
He is not as strong a climber as the Briton, Evans or Nibali.
Van Garderen rose to eighth overall, from 17th, and is 5:14 behind Wiggins.
After 10 straight days of racing, the 178-rider peloton got its first rest day yesterday. The field then faces two hard days in the Alps, including a summit finish tomorrow that is likely to shake up the standings.
The Tour ends on July 22 in Paris.
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