After three flat stages in which we saw Van Heerden win two and a the not really a sprinter Lagutin take the other we are here for what promises to be a really decisive day in terms of finding an overall winner.
The TT or 21 km is of medium length and one name resonates through as the overwhelming favourite and that's Ignatiev. He will really want to put time into other riders today as tomorrow he and his small Wiggle team will be vunerable. As expected for a race with a TT in he has some of CTours best other TTers here.
One useful TTer who has already been in the thick of the action is early starter Miles Olman, in fact he was our first starter...
KOM and lanterne rouge and also a good TTer Miles Olman.
He sets a very good intermediate check of 10.40 and will finish in a time of 27.30. The next serious threat would come from Bradley Wiggins, who has lost some time on the previous day due to all the lead out work for his team leader. His team mate Millar could not challenge Olmans time and had clocked a time of 27.48. But Wiggo...
Wiggins is the best of the Pendletons TT duo
... beats Olman at the first intermediate check by one second. But the old legs fade and he can only clock 27.39. So we get into the riders who have finished in the peleton everyday and every time gap now really moves the GC about. Yet another British TTer, this time for 100% Me is going fast...
Its Ian Stannard
This sort of flat distance should suit the Brit and the times reflect that as he clocks 10.22 at the first split, eight second faster than Olman and seven seconds faster than Wiggins. But unlike Wiggins he does not lose strength, in fact he keeps getting faster and faster. He sets an outstanding time of 27.03, he throws down the gauntlet to former 100% Me man Ignatiev! There are other riders in good rides today, heres another...
Highroad man Elizen
Elizen has been looking for KOM points all tour, here though he can concentrate on GC ambitions, he is having a cracker as well. Only 4 seconds down on Stannard at the first split, he holds his speed nicely and slots in with a time of 27.11, good enough for second place so far behind Stannard. His countryman Stef Clement started soon after...
How would the Tour of Wellington runner up do?
He has done some good TTs over shorter distances and whilst his opening time check of 10.32 looked good, he faded a little at the end and came in with time just behind Miles Olman to place 4th so far. A rival for Time Trials has been this rider from Bimbo Nutella...
Dan Craven
He didn't seem to enjoy the windy conditions and came through 16 seconds down on Stannard at the first check and a disappointing 40 seconds down on the brit by the end. Another rider we though may go well was Grabovski...
Intesa banking on this guy
He too found the windy conditions difficult to cut through coming though the first check 13 seconds down on Stannard and finishing some 30 seconds back with a time of 27.33. Its good enough for 5th at the moment, which was not quite the expectation.
So the late starters were not really getting the best conditions it would appear or were having off days. The favourite was on course and we were going to see what Mikhail Ignatiev could do...
Will Ignatiev give himself some Wiggle room?
The answer at the first check was not a lot, well on Stannard at least. The Russian goes through in a time of 10.20 thats the fastest time. In fact a list of the best five intermediate checks are:
1) Ignatiev 10.20
2) Stannard at 2 seconds
3) Elizen at 6 seconds
4) Clement at 13 seconds
5) Grabovski at 15 seconds
There are all sprinters left and they are really struggling over the course, its a day off for them really. Here is the last of Van Heerden in pink...
Two time stage winner Van Heerden is having a good race
The South African would lose over two minutes to the winning time over this 21 kilometer distance. Who would be that winner? The 100% Me dignitaries were waiting at the finish for their former rider Ignatiev to finish, Wiggle paid 1 million dollars for this man's TTing ability! He thunders down the last kilometre...
The clock is ticking...
... and no the clock rolls past Ian Stannard wins the Dunkirk TT, cue over the top celebrations from his team! Ignatiev could not fend off the conditions and an excellent ride by the Brit but comes in second here six seconds down. He does at least take the race lead, though possibly by less than first imagined.
