Froome settles for third in Romandie after lacklustre final time trial
Chris Froome's hopes of a third consecutive Tour de Romandie title were dashed by Katusha's Ilnur Zakarin after the Brit only managed 13th on the final time trial
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha) won the overall of the 2015 Tour de Romandie, finishing third in a drizzly time-trial stage won by Tony Martin (Etixx-Quick-Step).
Chris Froome (Sky) again seemed to be somewhat off his best form, and could only manage the 13th fastest time to consolidate his third place overall behind Zakarin and his Katusha teammate Simon Spilak.
Despite wearing a determined expression on the start ramp, the defending champion failed to mount a serious challenge to Zakarin’s leadership, finding himself 26 seconds off Martin’s pace at the intermediate sprint and 34 seconds at the finish.
Zakarin’s victory is one the most surprising of the season. Having been relatively anonymous for years, the Russian rose to prominence with some eye-catching rides at the Tour of the Basque Country, but no-one would have predicted the all-round display of dominance he has displayed this week.
Zakarin even managed to win despite suffering a mechanical just moments after setting the second fastest time at the intermediate sprint. The incident will have cost him a few seconds, but he remained calm and rebuilt momentum, managing to secure a buffer of eleven over his teammate Spialk.
Spilak himself was second on the stage, and therefore leaps ahead of Froome and yesterday’s winner Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) who slips off the podium after only managing 20th on the stage. This makes it three runners up finishes in a row at the Tour de Romandie for Spilak.
Other notable performances were Simon Yates’ (Orica-GreenEdge) twelfth place finish, which sees him rise to sixth overall, climbing above Nairo Quintana who finished surprisingly low 22nd.
Given his impressive recent form in road stages, it seemed inevitable that Martin would win upon returning to his favourite discipline, time-trialing. Crossing the line he put a whopping twenty seconds into the then-leader Rohan Dennis (BMC), posting a time of 23-17 that no-one managed to get within even ten seconds of.
Among the riders to have held the fastest time earlier in the day were Anton Vorobyev (Katusha), Joss Van Emden (LottoNL-Jumbo) and stage four winner Stefan Kung (BMC).
Tour de Romandie, Stage 6 Lausanne-Lausanne ITT
1. Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx-Quick Step in 23:17
2. Simon Spilak (Slo) Katusha, at 11sec
3. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha, at 13sec
4. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto-Soudal at 19sec
5. Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC at 22sec
6. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r at 24sec
7. Jonathan Castroviejo (Spa) Movistar at 25sec
8. Stef Clement (Ned) IAM Cycling at 26sec
9. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo at 28sec
10. Steve Morabito (Swi) FDJ at 31sec
General Classification
1. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha, in 18:36:30
2. Simon Spilak (Slo) Katusha, at 17sec
3. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky, at 35sec
4. Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ, at 49sec
5. Rigoberto Uran (Col) Etixx-Quickstep, at 1m20
6. Simon Yates (GBR) Orica-GreenEdge, at 1min21
7. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo at 1min24
8. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar, at 1min42
9. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r at 1min43
10. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana, at 1m54
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Stephen Puddicombe is a freelance journalist for Cycling Weekly, who regularly contributes to our World Tour racing coverage with race reports, news stories, interviews and features. Outside of cycling, he also enjoys writing about film and TV - but you won't find much of that content embedded into his CW articles.
-
-
Computer company Acer is making an AI-powered bike and it’s got some wild features
Taiwanese hardware and electronics corporation, Acer, best known for its powerful laptop computers, appears to be diversifying its product offerings with the creation of a (super) smart e-bike
By Anne-Marije Rook • Published
-
It's not just Remco v Roglič at Volta a Catalunya as two becomes three: 'When two are fighting, it's the other who takes it'
Is Giulio Ciccone, at the once-assumed peak age of 28, developing into a serious rival for the best?
By Chris Marshall-Bell • Published
-
'We are just getting started': Israel-Premier Tech launches Field of Dreams project in Rwanda
Pump track and cycling course built in Bugesera to help develop cycling talent in central Africa
By Adam Becket • Published
-
CW Live: Chris Froome targets return to 'top level'; UCI tightens ITT rules; Strava responds to price hike criticism; Topless protesters arrested at TDU; Tributes paid to Lieuwe Westra; Scott recalls 'cracking' bikes; Toon Aerts the PE teacher
The latest news in the world of cycling
By Tom Davidson • Last updated
-
CW LIVE: Wout van Aert and Shirin van Anrooij win cyclo-cross in Koksijde; Rapha unveil EF Education kits; Police search for two suspects in Mark Cavendish robbery; Paris-Nice route announced; Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas to ride Tour Down Under
All the latest in the world of cycling
By Tom Davidson • Last updated
-
CW LIVE: Primož Roglič confirmed for Giro d'Italia 2023; Track rider hits 2,271 watts; NCL announces first two teams; Van Aert to ride cyclo-cross Worlds; Sram and Oakley team up with Jumbo-Visma; Rwanda unveils pump track: Evenepoel eyes Pogačar showdown
Join us as we round up the day's cycling news
By Tom Davidson • Last updated
-
Tweets of the week: Chris Froome has GoPro problems, and Geraint Thomas grits roads
It might be cold outside, but these hot posts should keep you warm
By Adam Becket • Published
-
'It was Purgatory': Cancer survivor rides 627km around Cyprus in a day
Alexandros Agrotis fought off fatigue to raise funds for thyroid cancer, which he had as a teenager
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Freedom to cycle — The female Afghan refugees rediscovering life on the bike in Italy
Israel-Premier Tech helped bring a group of 70 Afghan refugees to Italy in July as part of helping wider resettlement efforts
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Teams target up to four races a day in relegation points scramble
For Lotto-Soudal and Cofidis, the racing is only just beginning
By Tom Davidson • Published