Team time trial first key test in Tour de France for Team Ineos, says Dave Brailsford
Ineos boss admits team’s early start does make their TTT preparations more complicated
Does being in the unusual position of going off first in the Tour de France 2019 stage two Brussels team time trial make any difference to Ineos? Yes and no, team boss Dave Brailsford told Cycling Weekly before the 27.6-kilometre test got under way.
“Normally we’d be going a bit later on and that does make it different. It means that the routine of the day changes. It compresses the time in which the riders have to prepare, the time in between the meal they have in the morning and the time trial getting under way,” he said.
“When planning out their day, you’ve got to factor in travelling to the race, getting out on the recon, which they’ve got to do when the course opens at 12. Then they’ve got to get back to the bus and make their final preparations, and that makes the timings a little tight. Once they get back here after the recon, they’re pretty much straight into their warm-up and then straight into the race.”
He explained, however, that the fundamental task remains the same no matter what time the team starts. “Everyone’s got to do half an hour’s work today. It’s like an Olympic final, in as much as you don’t think about what time it’s taking place. They’re thinking about getting their preparations dialled, building up to the point when they’ve got to be ready to perform,” explained Brailsford, who added that setting time references for rival teams was not a concern.
“You’re not racing anybody in these events. Everybody has simply got to go as hard as they can. In a team time trial, nobody is using other teams’ times as references, I can guarantee you that. Nobody’s saying, ‘You can ease off a little bit here.’ Everybody is on, if not beyond the limit, right the way through.”
Acknowledging that it would be great to claim the team’s first-ever TTT victory at the Tour, Brailsford said the most important thing is for his leaders not to lose significant time to other GC contenders.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
“People are going to gain or lose time today, but as long as it’s within a certain margin it doesn’t really matter hugely because there’s so much time left to make up any gaps, especially in the final week with all the climbing that there is,” he said. “It’s important to get the mindset right, so the delivery is right, to have a nice, tidy, neat performance.”
Brailsford says the TTT is the first key test in what looks like to be an interesting opening few days to the Tour.
“This first block of the race up as far as La Planche des Belles Filles is not easy. There are a couple of days, including that summit finish, that are up and down all day, big days in terms of climbing. It’s good that those days are coming early, we’re quite excited about those days. They should give some pattern to the race.
“Some people will be slightly better at the start, some will be slightly better at the finish, so it’s hard to say whether La Planche des Belles Filles will be an indication of what’s going to happen in the whole race or not,” he said.
“But the riders can’t be thinking about that yet. The job today is to make sure the riders forget what’s ahead, that they do this half-hour job, get it right and then we can reflect on where we are tonight.”
Thank you for reading 20 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
Peter Cossins has been writing about professional cycling since 1993, with his reporting appearing in numerous publications and websites including Cycling Weekly, Cycle Sport and Procycling - which he edited from 2006 to 2009. Peter is the author of several books on cycling - The Monuments, his history of cycling's five greatest one-day Classic races, was published in 2014, followed in 2015 by Alpe d’Huez, an appraisal of cycling’s greatest climb. Yellow Jersey - his celebration of the iconic Tour de France winner's jersey won the 2020 Telegraph Sports Book Awards Cycling Book of the Year Award.
-
A Stars and Stripes jersey and cold hard cash: the 2024 Gravel National Championships to offer a $40,000 prize purse for elite races
The US Gravel National Championships will return to Gering, Nebraska, on September 8
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
Tadej Pogačar broke 288 Strava KOMs during Tour de France victory
Slovenian won his third Tour title in Nice last weekend, and picked up a host of new trophies on Strava
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
It's time to stop expecting so much of Ineos Grenadiers at the Tour de France
The British team are always under pressure to match their past best, but it’s not going to happen anytime soon
By Adam Becket Published
-
Tom Pidcock says Ineos Grenadiers will be 'better' at the Tour de France without Steve Cummings
Netflix series depicted tension between the DS and rider, dynamic sources told Cycling Weekly carries a degree of accuracy
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tom Pidcock 'dreaming' of taking yellow jersey on opening weekend of Tour de France
British rider hopes to play starring role in Italian Grand Départ
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'I think I'll get the opportunity to go for a stage' - Geraint Thomas relishing support role at Tour de France
Former yellow jersey winner says this year's race "could be my last"
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Carlos Rodríguez to lead Ineos Grenadiers at Tour de France, supported by Geraint Thomas and Tom Pidcock
British squad will aim to "race aggressively and disrupt" at the French Grand Tour
By Adam Becket Published
-
21 things you didn't know about Tom Pidcock
According to the man himself, he's never had a hangover. It's alright for some.
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tom Pidcock adds extra mountain bike race to schedule, one week before Tour de France
Pidcock confirms he will race World Cup event in Crans Montana, Switzerland ahead of Olympic title defence
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
5 things we learned from the first week of the 2024 Giro d’Italia
The Italian Grand Tour is firmly underway and Tadej Pogačar is in the pink jersey. Here are our takeaways from the first week of action
By Tom Thewlis Published