The 12km TT arrives and with a succession of sprints since the shorter opening day chrono, it is the testing men who will be looking for a big effort today.
Tomorrow does have plenty of hills but has a flat finish so there could be a big clump of riders together at the end, so look for the big names of day one to figure.
David Millar is an early starter as he is one of the riders to have consistently dropped off the back of the pack.
It is probably one year too many for the veteran but he is possibly still a threat against the clock though 40th on the previous time test suggests otherwise.
His time of 16.15 for the 12km course sets a benchmark for the day.
Due in part to most of the early starters being weak time triallers we do not get anyone really threatening the time of Millar for some time the closest being Hicks at 18 seconds and Frison at 16 seconds.
With 54 riders to go here is the clubhouse Leaderboard.
Michael Kurth is the first rider on course today who can set an intermediate time close to Millar.
This is opening the floodgates now as Van Loocke now sets a new first check leading time of 8.45.
Expect these times to keep tumbling as better and better time triallers come out to play.
What’s interesting though is as both riders finish they are both outside the times of Millar, Frison and Van Loocke.
You can see here that a number of riders have gone even quicker at the first check including Millar’s teammate Hampton who leads the first check standings with 40 riders still to pass through.
They are getting closer to Millar but still Hampton cannot beat his teammates time setting 16.16 one second slower.
Vandousselaere sets a very handy first check time of 8.29. This rider could push a high placing on the youth classification with a good ride today.
Just before he hits the line we check that first check Leaderboard.
You’ll note Ed Clancy’s time, and he continues the Halfords show by just outdoing long time leader Millar with a time if 16.14 at the finish.
Though both Pronk and Vandousselaere manage to eclipse this.
33 riders left to finish.
Next a name unfamiliar to most in Abdelmalek Madani. He produces a strong first check time of 8.26.
Konovalovas is of course more well known and he sets 8.25 at the first check.
Both the these two manage to convert great starts to good finishes. Madani setting a new best of 16.03 before Konovalovas beats it setting 16.01.
Tendero
and Sebright will be the next two to threaten.
Both were just a smidgen quicker at the first check with Sebright setting the best of the two with an excellent 15.51' Tendero 15.55.
22 riders to finish.
Lindgren was two seconds off at the intermediate so almost catches the cameras unawares when beating Sebright by a tight margin.
He set the same time but just gets the nod on hundredths of a second.
The big TT names are out now though with Stannard approaching the first check.
Amazingly he is 11 seconds off the pace of Sebright at the first check, in fact riders like Elijzen and Irvine are also way off the pace at the first check.
12 riders to go through.
By the finish Irvine can only register provisional 5th with 15.54. The home fans try to roar on Elizjen.
He does a great effort to just barely nudge Lingren and Sebright down, again with 15.51! Great going though to turn a 10 second deficit at the first check around.
Hope then for Flens 20th at the first check.
And Van Winden 14th at the first check of turning things Rund in the second half of the chrono.
Here is Ford again well down on the first check back in 13th.
7 more to go through.
Stannard finishes and to the disappointment of many in the crowd he finishes faster than Elijzen.
Again it is that 15.51 time.
Flens
15.51 and a new best again.
11 riders to finish.
Look at the size of Van Winden’s thighs as he rocks his bike up the finish.
He breaks the 15.51 brigade with a massive best of 15.44.
We have to take those first check times with a pinch of salt, Olman goes through though five seconds slower than Ford and Van Winden.
Basically it is out and back, with the wind blowing against in the first half and behind in the second half.
Tennent is also pretty slow setting a similar time to Olman.
Ford then is the big threat to Van Winden.
(Picture)
He confirms with a new best time of 15.43.
Gretsch goes through the first check much like his earler time trial a little better than both Tennent and Olman. He is still well down on Van Winden and Ford though at this point.
Cornu though is absolutely murdering the course he is way up on the first check to his rivals putting in the 4th best time at that point.
Ther has been no change of wind so this is just strong riding.
At the finish we see Olman and Tennant rolling in with 15.50, and Gretsch with 15.49.
Cornu, Kip and Vantomme left to finish.
Kip was 27 seconds slower than Cornu at the first check.
Vantomme lost a whopping 43 seconds to Cornu at the first check.
Full first check top 27:
Cornu approaches the finish.
He has nailed this with 15.31.
Vantomme sprints home.
He is 1.20 back he’ll be 30 seconds behind Cornu tomorrow and drops some way down on GC, to 10th. That said he is in time bonus range of Ford who is 2nd on GC.
