After a farcical finish on Mont Ventoux, the peloton must refocus for Stage 13 of the Tour de France, a difficult individual time trial. Join The Roar for live coverage from 8pm (AEST).
Stage 12 was looking good for Chris Froome, Richie Porte and Bauke Mollema before a motorbike was forced to stop and caused a crash.
What followed next was almost comical as Chris Froome, in his yellow jersey, ran towards the finish. In the end, they were given the same time as Mollema in what seemed like the best solution for all involved.
Moving onto one of the most important stages in this year’s race though, and 37.5 kilometres of pain awaits the riders. It’s far from flat, like some individual time trials, going up to a maximum of 409 metres above sea level.
After setting out from Bourg-saint-Andeol, the first seven kilometres are almost entirely uphill, going to that high point and the first time check.
There is barely any respite with only a gradual drop for the next 15 kilometres, which includes plenty of flat sections, and even one that goes back uphill.
From there it goes steeply downhill for a couple of kilometres before the second time check at 28 kilometres.
After a couple more kilometres of flat, the route goes back uphill for the final five kilometres, finishing 270 metres above sea level at La Caverne du Pont d’Arc.
With all the climbing and elevation throughout the race, even with no categorised climbs on course, the climbers should dominate. In saying that, it won’t be the pure climbers, because of the amount spent on the flat. The likes of Fabian Cancellara and Tony Martin, who focus on time trials, need to make up a lot of time on the flat.
There will be also some very keen general classification riders, Richie Porte and Daniel Martin in particular, who will be looking to make big time on their rivals.
With more heavy winds and a chance of rain, it should be a fascinating time trial.
Prediction
It’s a difficult time trial, and for that reason I can’t see Martin or Cancellara taking the win. Tom Dumoulin and Froome have to be the favourites, although Porte, Rohan Dennis, Tejay van Garderen and Vasil Kiryienka all have to be rated chances.
Froome should also hold onto yellow.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of Stage 13 from 7:45pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add your own comments in the section below.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde
Scott Pryde
Expert
Thanks for joining me this evening here on The Roar for our live coverage of the 2016 Tour de France as Tom Dumoulin took out the Stage 13 time trial. I hope you enjoyed the coverage. I'll be back tonight for Stage 14 from 9:30pm (AEST) so be sure to join me then. Bye for now.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Stage Results Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) has claimed a dominant victory during the individual time trial on Stage 13 of the 2016 Tour de France, while Chris Froome (Sky) has added to his overall lead. Dumoulin led the race at every checkpoint as he rode through, and never relinquished it to the end with a gap that grew with each passing section of the race. He would win the race in the end by over a minute, with Froome coming in second and adding 50 seconds to his overall lead, with Bauke Mollema being the next general classification rider to come in, maintaining his second place. Fabio Aru and Romain Bardet were the men to lose big time on the General Classification, while Richie Porte started strongly but faded in the back end finding himself over four minutes behind at the end of the day. Adam Yates and Nairo Quintana are both within three minutes, while Alejandro Valverde and Tejay Van Garderen sit just over three minutes behind, surely handing the lead of BMC to Van Garderen now, despite Porte's far superior form in the mountains - he has simply had no luck at all. It's hard to see Froome losing the Tour now, even from this far out. He holds a nearly two minute gap to Mollema and has been in some brilliant form with another time trial to come, and in eight days barring a disaster, him losing that time is nearly impossible to imagine right now. In the end though, a great win for Tom Dumoulin and more domination from Chris Froome.
Scott Pryde
Expert
That will be followed up by a minutes applause.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Minutes silence on the podium to remember the victims of the terrible tragedy in Nice overnight. Poor form from the photo journalists as their cameras snap throughout the minute. I understand they have a job, but that was poor form. All 4 jersey wearers and Dumoulin lay flowers on the podium.
Scott Pryde
Expert
No probs Tony! I'll be on again tomorrow night.
Scott Pryde
Expert
General Classification 1. Chris Froome (Sky) @ 58:02:51 2. Bauke Mollema (Trek) + 1:47 3. Adam Yates (Orica) + 2:45 4. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) + 2:59 5. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) + 3:17 6. Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) + 3:19 7. Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) + 4:04 8. Richie Porte (BMC) + 4:27 9. Daniel Martin (Etixx-Quickstep) + 5:03 10. Fabio Aru (Astana) + 5:16
Tony Michael
Guest
Yeah, love the Gorilla!! Thanks for the updates .. Although I haven't been following very closely as we've been busy here!! Have a great weekend!!
Scott Pryde
Expert
Just waiting on the general classification to update itself for us. Awesome display really today from Dumoulin to take the stage. His ride was pure power from start to finish. As for Froome - there are 8 stages left but his margin is going to be somewhere near 2 minutes. Hard to see him losing that much time from here to the end of the race given how strongly he is riding.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Hi Tony, Great win for Dumoulin this morning who was my tip for the TT. Given the flat nature of tomorrow's stage it should be the sprinters, particuarly considering they don't have too many opportunities left. Doesn't really have the feel of a 'transition' stage. In saying that, anything not mountains is viewed as transition at this point of the race so a breakaway could get it done. If it was to be the sprinters, I really like Greipel for the stage win.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Top 10 1. Tom Dumoulin (Giant) @ 50:15 2. Chris Froome (Sky) + 1:03 3 Nelson Oliveira (Movistar) + 1:31 4. Jerome Coppel (IAM) + 1:35 5. Rohan Dennis (BMC) + 1:41 6. Bauke Mollema (Movistar) + 1:53 7. Geraint Thomas (Sky) + 2:00 8. Ion Izaguirre (Movistar) + 2:02 9. Tony Martin (Etixx-Quickstep) + 2:05 10. Stephen Cummings (Dimension Data) + 2:24
Tony Michael
Guest
Hi Scott .. Have you had a look at tomorrow's stage and picked a winner?
Scott Pryde
Expert
Regardless, Froome stops the clock at only 1:03 down and that will do us. Froome extends his Overall lead and a great victory for Dumoulin.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Chris Froome is hammering home here, but Dumoulin will win. Dumoulin already has it locked in with Froome being outside it riding to the line.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Adam Yates out of the saddle and trying to push every single second out of his ride to the line, but it doesn't look like he will keep it inside the 3 minute mark... Given Quintana had 53:23, a 53:14 for Yates isn't too bad.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Adam Yates inside the final kilometre.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Yates and Froome the only 2 riders left on the road.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Nairo Quintana now coming up towards the finish and it looks like he will give up three or more minutes.That means he could well give up 2 to Froome and that could be Tour done and dusted. He stops the clock at 53:23 or 3:08 back to Dumoulin.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Provisional Top 5 1. Tom Dumoulin (Giant) @ 50:15 2. Nelson Oliveira (Movistar) + 1:31 3. Jerome Coppel (IAM) + 1:35 4. Rohan Dennis (BMC) + 1:41 5. Bauke Mollema (Movistar) + 1:53
Scott Pryde
Expert
Superb ride this for Mollema as the times of the top riders slip by. He will stop the clock in 5th positon 1:53 back.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Romain Bardet now on his way up to the finish line, and he will be well over 3 minutes - he might have lost some time, but hemanaged to stay upright as the wind blew around.