The date is July 23rd. Earlier in the day, the Tour de France finished on the Champs-Élysées, but now it's time for the most important event of the day: Vilnius GP. An event every continental team looks forward to, so much so that the MGUCI canceled the application process and invited every team. There is no mercy for those who were considering declining as non-participation results in disqualification from the season.
Earlier in the week, grand marshal Vaidotas Valiukevičius performed the draw for the running order with his sick dance moves. Guave's Sunlight Cycling will open the race, and Philips will be the final team to finish if everything goes to plan. The four prime contenders are marked in bold.
Rank
Team
Rank
Team
1
Guave's Sunlight Cycling
11
Los Pollos Hermanos
2
Carrefour - ESPN
12
Carlsberg - Danske Bank
3
Tryg - Ritter Sport
13
Eddie Stobart
4
Project: Africa
14
Gjensidige Pro Cycling
5
BNZ Cycling Team
15
Sotto il sole di riccione
6
Trans Cycling Team
16
Sauber Petronas Racing
7
Team Europcar
17
Nordica - Enel
8
Centovalli - Fiat
18
Glanbia Foods Cycling Project
9
Bralirwa - Stevens Bikes
19
Strava
10
McCormick Pro Cycling
20
Philips
A few seconds before two o'clock, Guave's Sunlight Cycling is the first team to stand on the start line. They are the initital benchmark for the next nineteen teams once they get underway. They cross the first and only checkpoint, 28'18 after after 23.3 kilometer.
Most teams start with a full squad of eight riders, but Carrefour - ESPN only starts with six. Nevertheless, they beat Guave by 23 seconds. Normally they should lose some time towards the end though.
The next team, Tryg - Ritter Sport, is also 23 seconds away from Guave but in the other direction, third position from three teams to have passed the checkpoint.
In the city center of Vilnius we find Project: Africa, another favorite starting early. 27'37 is 18 seconds faster than Carrefour, meaning they live up to the status so far.
Meet the fifth starter, BNZ Cycling Team, who are five second faster than Tryg to not be last so far.
Even team time trials can't escape from a bit of undulation, but nothing too tough for these riders. Trans Cycling Team takes the third time, 37 seconds behind Project: Africa and 19 seconds behind Carrefour - ESPN.
The green of Team Europcar is up next. They are almost a minute behind the leaders already, fifth out of seven.
Red lantern is a place teams want to avoid. Centovalli - Fiat does that by being two seconds faster than Tryg. The latter shouldn't worry, some objectively worse teams still have to reach the halfway mark.
Is Bralirwa - Stevens Bikes going for that award? The team uses the opportunity to teach the youngsters how to ride a time trial. They are a minute off the second-worst time, and two minutes from the lead.
At the same time, Guave's Sunlight Cycling has reached the finish line in Vilnius, 51'46 is what the stopwatch says. They still have the fourth time at the split with ten teams yet to cross, though some are inferior to them. A top ten should be possible.
Rank
Team
Time
1
Guave's Sunlight Cycling
51'46
Last place is not for McCormick Pro Cycling. They are not as bad as Bralirwa, but that is the only team they beat so far. + 1'28.
Six riders at the start, six riders at the finish for Carrefour - ESPN. They almost double their lead over Guave despite having two less riders, so set the fastest time so far. But have they gained ground on Project: Africa?
Rank
Team
Time
1
Carrefour - ESPN
50'57
2
Guave's Sunlight Cycling
+ 49
A problem for Los Pollos Hermanos. Sterbini is going too fast for the rest of the team, Osorio just hanging on and Bru leaving a gap. Despite the hickup they beat Bralirwa by 27 seconds, but five seconds behind McCormick for second-a-last.
Reaching the finish line is Tryg - Ritter Sport, + 1'27. They're looking for a lower mid-table finish judging by their current position at the split unless they rocketed the final sector.
Rank
Team
Time
1
Carrefour - ESPN
50'57
2
Guave's Sunlight Cycling
+ 49
3
Tryg - Ritter Sport
+ 1'27
Even in this time trial we have a bridge, though not as impressive as the one in Copenhagen - Malmö. Carlsberg - Danske Bank had to travel to Lithuania instead of their home country, which might impact their performance a little bit. Fifth at the timing point, three seconds behind Guave, is hopefully just a slow start.
At the checkpoint they are still top of the table, at the finish line Project: Africa also tops the table. 50'41 is 16 seconds ahead of Carrefour, meaning they lost two seconds despite the numerical advantage. The finish didn't look optimal either. They are almost a minute faster than the winning time from last year, but can any of the other teams go faster?
Rank
Team
Time
1
Project: Africa
50'41
2
Carrefour - ESPN
+ 16
3
Guave's Sunlight Cycling
+ 1'05
Practicing team time trials is something Eddie Stobart should do, as riding in two smaller groups is not faster than one large. They tie with McCormick for 10/13.
A change compared to the standings at the intermediate! BNZ Cycling finishes in 52'31, meaning they have dropped behind Tryg!
Rank
Team
Time
3
Guave's Sunlight Cycling
+ 1'05
4
Tryg - Ritter Sport
+ 1'43
5
BNZ Cycling Team
+ 1'51
It won't be a high position for Gjensidige Pro Cycling, with Siddikov the odd one out in his Uzbek jersey. + 1'40 for the Norwegians at the intermediate, falling behind all but Bralirwa.
Next across the finish line comes Trans Cycling Team. They had a four-second lead to Guave but blew it on the final sector, falling ten seconds behind them. With some decent climbers in the squad, Guave suddenly becomes a shock top-five contender.
Rank
Team
Time
3
Guave's Sunlight Cycling
+ 1'05
4
Trans Cycling Team
+ 1'15
5
Tryg - Ritter Sport
+ 1'43
The battle for last place has a new contender in Sotto il sole di riccione. They are twenty seconds slower than Bralirwa who had the virtual last place up to this point.
Only Amanuel had to lose touch, meaning Team Europcar has enough riders to cross the finish line. They reduced the gap to Trans from sixteen to twelve seconds, though not gaining them any places as of yet.
Rank
Team
Time
4
Trans Cycling Team
+ 1'15
5
Team Europcar
+ 1'27
6
Tryg - Ritter Sport
+ 1'43
Without ambitions, Sauber Petronas Racing places third-from-bottom at the moment with four teams to cross the halfway point.
Recall Centovalli - Fiat led by two seconds over Tryg on the checkpoint, they double that to four for virtual second-a-last place, but the teams yet to finish have shown they don't need to worry about finishing last.
Rank
Team
Time
5
Team Europcar
+ 1'27
6
Centovalli - Fiat
+ 1'39
7
Tryg - Ritter Sport
+ 1'43
In positive news, Nordica - Enel is also not last at the halfway point, but with + 1'52 they're not setting the world alight either.
The cold seat at the finish line now belongs to Bralirwa - Stevens Bikes, opposite the hot seat occupied by their fellow African team. Two seconds over 55 minutes is 4'21 slower than their fellow African team in the lead and 2'30 slower than BNZ in second-last. They can put hope out of Sotto being behind them on the split.
Rank
Team
Time
7
Tryg - Ritter Sport
+ 1'43
8
BNZ Cycling Team
+ 1'51
9
Bralirwa - Stevens Bikes
+ 4'21
Enter a new contender for the bottom place: Strava, who went even slower than Sotto at the checkpoint. They don't have a particularly exceptional time trialist, and could only find six riders willing to travel to Lithuania. No wonder they lose out by six seconds in the battle for P20.
Provisionally second-last at the finish line McCormick Pro Cycling, but that will transition to a lower mid-table finish once all teams have crossed the finish line.
Rank
Team
Time
8
BNZ Cycling Team
+ 1'51
9
McCormick Pro Cycling
+ 2'37
10
Bralirwa - Stevens Bikes
+ 4'21
Let's look at the biggest favorite pre-race: Glanbia Foods Cycling Project. They are only sixth at the checkpoint at 45 seconds from Project: Africa, though only eight seconds behind Trans in third. They need to put the hammer down now.
Earlier they had problems, but once Bru was dropped the other six hermanos could follow Sterbini. As punishment, the Cuban will finish 156th out of 156 rider in the individual classification. For the team standings, Los Pollos Hermanos joins at second-bottom, though they only lost two seconds to McCormick on the final part to finish nine seconds behind them overall.
Rank
Team
Time
9
McCormick Pro Cycling
+ 2'37
10
Los Pollos Hermanos
+ 2'46
11
Bralirwa - Stevens Bikes
+ 4'21
A final starting position could be beneficial for Philips, as they know everyone's split times. People who only want to know the final result shouldn't have to wait for them to finish. Fourth-bottom at the checkpoint, + 1'54 to the leaders. The full leaderboard for reference:
Struggler McCutcheon is overtaken by Carlsberg - Danske Bank. The American has the distinction of being the most photographed rider this race as he was also passed by Los Pollos, but still goes faster than Bru. The Danes managed to reduce the deficit to Guave from three to two seconds, but it is not enough to overtake them. They do gain a place to Trans though.
Rank
Team
Time
3
Guave's Sunlight Cycling
+ 1'05
4
Carlsberg - Danske Bank
+ 1'07
5
Trans Cycling Team
+ 1'15
Exactly 42.6 kilometer and not a meter more. Eddie Stobart needed 52 minutes and 57 seconds to ride it, giving them tenth place as they beat McCormick, with whom they tied after 23.3 kilometer.
Rank
Team
Time
9
BNZ Cycling Team
+ 1'51
10
Eddie Stobart
+ 2'16
11
McCormick Pro Cycling
+ 2'37
Saving a bit of energy for the end, Gjensidige Pro Cycling goes from + 1'40 to + 2'51, but is has not gained or lost them any position so far.
Rank
Team
Time
12
Los Pollos Hermanos
+ 2'46
13
Gjensidige Pro Cycling Team
+ 2'51
14
Bralirwa - Stevens Bikes
+ 4'21
Entertainment at the bottom for us, but not for Sanmarinese champion Maccagli who does everything in his power to avoid the humiliation of being part of the worst team time trial team in the Continental division. Only Strava can keep Sotto il sole di riccione from this distinction at this point, finishing 24 seconds behind then-last Bralirwa, who will be relieved.
Rank
Team
Time
13
Gjensidige Pro Cycling Team
+ 2'51
14
Bralirwa - Stevens Bikes
+ 4'21
15
Sotto il sole di Riccione
+ 4'45
Next team to cross the finish line is Sauber Petronas Racing, who continued their uninspiring ride and finish fourteenth out of sixteenth. However, they were ahead of all those still to finish, except Glanbia, so hey shouldn't drop much further.
Rank
Team
Time
13
Gjensidige Pro Cycling Team
+ 2'51
14
Sauber Petronas Racing
+ 3'03
15
Bralirwa - Stevens Bikes
+ 4'21
Did Nordica - Enel take the correct road? They were five seconds behind Sauber but end up 23 seconds faster. It's just an excellent finish from the Italians to also overtake Gjensidige and Los Pollos to take twelfth, to be pushed down to thirteenth by the next arrival.
Rank
Team
Time
11
McCormick Pro Cycling
+ 2'37
12
Nordica - Enel
+ 2'40
13
Los Pollos Hermanos
+ 2'46
Here are Glanbia Foods Cycling Project! They were behind Trans but the Slovenians had a poor finish, so that is a free position. Their one-second deficit to Carlsberg is turned into a 22 second advantage! Guave also cannot resist that amazing finish, meaning they take the final spot on the podium! What if the start was a bit better?
Rank
Team
Time
2
Carrefour - ESPN
+ 16
3
Glanbia Foods Cycling Project
+ 45
4
Guave's Sunlight Cycling
+ 1'05
Exactly the same composition as they started. Strava has kept all six riders towards finish. They even gained enough time to leave the last position! They were faster than Sotto and Bralirwa in the final kilometers and will finish eighteenth.
Rank
Team
Time
16
Sauber Petronas Racing
+ 3'03
17
Strava
+ 4'09
18
Bralirwa - Stevens Bikes
+ 4'21
Last to finish is Philips, confirming the final results. The juries will have some extra work to do as they finish in the exact same time as Sauber! A quick review of the milliseconds ranks the Dutch team ahead for sixteenth.
Rank
Team
Time
15
Gjensidige Pro Cycling Team
+ 2'51
16
Philips
+ 3'03
17
Sauber Petronas Racing
s.t.
Projected to be a podium contender, Project: Africa ends up winning the Vilnius GP! Due to corona restrictions, only one rider can step onto the podium, which is granted to Hamza who was the first rider to cross the line. Carrefour - ESPN finishes second at sixteen seconds, but with two less riders. Could they have won the race if they went with a full team, who knows? The final spot on the podium goes to Glanbia Foods Cycling Project at 45 seconds, knocking off Guave's Sunlight Cycling (+ 1'05) and Carlsberg - Danske Bank (+ 1'07). The former is a huge shock, having been put in the also-ran category in the preview but coming close to the podium. The red lantern goes to Sotto il sole di riccione at + 4'45, 24 seconds slower than Bralirwa - Stevens Bikes and 36 seconds slower than Strava.
