Chris Froome (Team Sky) has said he doesn’t think it’s possible for him to take the yellow jersey at the Critérium du Dauphiné in Wednesday's time trial.
The 23.5km time trial between La Tour-du-Pin and Bourgoin-Jallieu will be the first time the general classification contenders get to set a marker against each other so far in the race.
Froome currently sits 1-09 down on race leader Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal), who has worn the yellow jersey since taking a breakaway victory on the opening stage.
>>> Tour de France Bastille Day stage under threat after storm damage
But when Froome, arguably the best tester of the GC contenders, was asked if he thought he might be in the lead after stage four he said: “What is it a minute or something to De Gendt? I don’t think that’s possible he’s going well at the moment.”
The defending Dauphiné champion said that Katusha-Alpecin's German powerhouse Tony Martin would be “the man to beat” but that he was more interested in how he did compared with the other GC contenders.
“The time trial is, of course, a huge dynamic of the race here," Froome added.
"Whoever gets time in terms of the GC battle won’t have to go on the offensive [in the mountains]. It’s also an important test for what’s to come in the Tour, we’ve got a similar prologue in Düsseldorf and a similar TT in Marseille at the end of the Tour. It’s good practice, a good hit out, ahead of that.”
Froome added that he was hoping to have a better outing on the time trial bike than his last one in competition in the Tour de Romandie when he finished 38 seconds down on Richie Porte (BMC) and two seconds ahead of Simon Yates (Orica-Scott) in an 18km time trial.
The Brit said he’d already seen, over the course of the race’s first three stages, that Porte was “in great form” this week in southern France.
He added: “I’ve not seen much of Romain Bardet. I think he’s staying hidden, maybe waiting for the Mont du Chat stage [on Friday] on his home roads.”
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
-
-
MADE Bike Show sells out registration in record time
A new handmade bike show is coming to Portland, Oregon this fall with 145 builders and brands registered to show off their craft
-
Skip the gatorade, nonalcoholic beer may be as good as, or even better than, sports drinks
Dry January may be over but you may want to keep stocking those nonalcoholic beers — for fitness sake.
-
Chris Froome highlights dangers of long Covid after battle with virus
Four-time Tour de France champion warns of cardiovascular impact and says his VO2 max took a hit after illness
-
Chris Froome labels WorldTour relegation a ‘death sentence for many teams’
Four-time Tour de France winner says UCI points system needs overhaul as Israel-PremierTech face relegation from the WorldTour
-
Chris Froome still holds out hope for fifth Tour de France win
Israel-Premier Tech rider says the dream is "always there"
-
Chris Froome out of Tour de France after positive Covid-19 test result
Four-time winner and third on Alpe d’Huez stage forced to abandon on stage 18
-
'I’m going to keep pushing. I don’t know what my limits are': Chris Froome climbs to best result since 2018
Israel-Premier Tech rider finished third on stage 12 of the Tour de France to Alpe d'Huez
-
La Planche des Belles Filles: will today's Tour de France climb be make or break?
Primož Roglič may be looking to salvage his Tour de France by exorcising his 2020 demons on the brutal climb
-
After 'fighting with the best guys', Ben O'Connor is proud of his Critérium du Dauphiné podium
Australian heads into Tour de France with best WorldTour stage result in his pocket
-
Can anyone stop the Jumbo juggernaut? Five talking points from the Critérium du Dauphiné
Wout van Aert and Primož Roglič are the best at the French race, but the Tour de France is another level up
