Stage 19 of the Vuelta a Espana is the only individual test against the clock in the race and will have a large say in who stands on the final podium in Madrid.
A flat and technical course suits the time trial specialists while the climbers will be focused on damage limitation.
Who will solidify their position on the final podium and who will buckle under the individual pressure only a time trial can provide?
Join The Roar to find out with live coverage of stage 19 of the 2016 Vuelta a Espana from 11pm (AEST).
The 37km time trial course makes its way along the beautiful Mediterranean coast from Xabia to Calp.
The course profile is almost flat with the only exception being a small rise from kilometre 10 to 12.
There are some technical sections as the riders hug the coastline but overall this course is built for the riders with the big engines and top end horsepower.
The course should see time gaps between the top four riders contesting the general classification.
Chris Froome in his absolute top form and on a course profile like this could expect to take 2-3 minutes on Quintana, Contador, and Chaves.
However he has shown signs of fatigue and vulnerability in the mountains which indicate his season may be catching up with him.
Despite this he should still be able to take 1-2 minutes on his rivals and solidify his top-two position heading into the final mountain stage.
Overall leader Nairo Quintana who has showed marked improvement against the clock in recent years will be closest to Froome on the stage of the GC riders and should maintain a comfortable lead before heading into his preferred mountainous terrain for the penultimate stage.
The real interest is in the battle for the final podium position between Esteban Chaves and Alberto Contador with Chaves holding a narrow five-second advantage.
Contador on paper should be able to put significant time into Chaves due to his greater time trial pedigree and Grand Tour experience.
In Chaves’ favour is that he should be the fresher rider having skipped the Tour de France and has looked strong on the climbs in recent stages.
Contador on the other hand has expended a lot of energy in this year’s Vuelta, after crashing earlier in the race he has bravely animated the mountain stages with daring attacks. How much has he got left to give?
Outside the battle for the podium the rest of the top ten on general classification should see some change with only 2min25 covering fifth to ninth.
Prediction
Before the race started this stage would have been marked down as the crowning of Froome as the winner of the Vuelta taking the overall lead with a dominant stage winning ride.
Although he won’t take the race lead Froome is still the best against the clock in this field and should take the stage win.
Jonathan Castroviejo (Movistar) is the best credentialled time trial rider behind Froome and could threaten for the stage win.
Quintana will maintain a comfortable lead over Froome and Contador will take enough time to leapfrog Chaves into third overall.
Join us from 11pm AEST for live updates of the Vuelta a Espana as we follow this fascinating race into its final decisive days.
Ryan Day
Roar Guru
Thank you for your company tonight be sure to join us tomorrow night for live coverage of stage 20 and the final showdown for the general classification.
Ryan Day
Roar Guru
General Classification after Stage 19: 1 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team 75:18:52 2 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 00:01:21 3 Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff Team 00:03:43 4 Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-BikeExchange 00:04:54 5 Andrew Talansky (USA) Cannondale-Drapac 00:07:12 6 Simon Yates (GBr) Orica-BikeExchange 00:07:32 7 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Astana Pro Team 00:10:01 8 Daniel Moreno (Spa) Movistar Team 00:10:07 9 David De La Cruz (Spa) Etixx - Quick-Step 00:10:11 10 Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale-Drapac 00:11:14
Ryan Day
Roar Guru
Top Ten on Stage 19: 1 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 0:46:33 2 Jonathan Castroviejo (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:44 3 Tobias Ludvigsson (Swe) Team Giant-Alpecin 0:01:24 4 Yves Lampaert (Bel) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:01:26 5 Victor Campenaerts (Bel) Team LottoNl-Jumbo 0:01:47 6 Leopold Konig (Cze) Team Sky 0:01:51 7 Andrew Talansky (USA) Cannondale-Drapac 0:01:54 8 Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff Team 0:01:57 9 Fabio Felline (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:01:58 10 Luis Leon Sanchez (Spa) Astana Pro Team 0:02:10
Ryan Day
Roar Guru
Chris Froome showed his class today with a phenomenal time trial that saw him take a convincing stage win and take 2min 16 out of Nairo Quintana reducing his overall lead to 1min 21. Elsewhere Alberto Contador despite fading badly in the second half of the stage took appoximately 1min 15 out of Esteban Chaves to take third overall. Jonathan Castroviejo put in a very strong ride to take second on the stage only bested by the imperious Froome.
Ryan Day
Roar Guru
Tough day at the office for the young pair of Chaves and Yates as they lost massive time and conceded their third and fifth position overall. A real learning experience for them and a stark reminder of what is required to win a grand tour. However they have a chance to make amends with their climbing legs tomorrow.
Ryan Day
Roar Guru
Quintana crosses the line in 48 50 and he loses 2min 16 to Froome on the stage. His overall lead has been slashed to 1min 21 and sets up an explosive day tomorrow.
Ryan Day
Roar Guru
Quintana is now in the final kilometre and he has lost a huge chunk of time to Froome.
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Roar Guru
Chaves due next at the finish. He crosses the line in 49 45 losing 3min 12 to Froome and loses about 1min13 to Contador and with it his third place overall.
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Roar Guru
Froome crosses the line and posts the fastest time stopping the clock in 46min 33. 43 seconds quicker than Castroviejo. What a ride from a true champion.
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Roar Guru
Froome in the final 1km and he has put 2 minutes into Quintana.
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Roar Guru
Contador fades badly and he loses 1min 17 to Castroviejo at the finish.
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Roar Guru
Simon Yates into the finish and he loses 3min01 to Castroviejo.
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Roar Guru
Samuel Sanchez comes to the finish and he has had a crash somewhere as he loses over 5 minutes to Castroviejo.
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Roar Guru
2km to go for Contador as he struggles to the finish. How much has his fast start cost him at the finish.
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Roar Guru
5km to the finish for Froome.
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Roar Guru
Froome powering to the finish. He has shown his superiority in the time trial today putting his rivals to the sword. Quintana appears to be struggling as he goes down a descent.
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Roar Guru
Talansky is taking significant time on Yates and may be able to take 5th place overall.
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Roar Guru
Froome 10km from the finish as Quintana goes through the second time check 1min 32 behind Froome he is on target to lose over 2 minutes.
Ryan Day
Roar Guru
Chaves goes through 2min 14 behind Froome but has held Contador at 1min 02. Contador appears to be fading can Chaves peg him back on the approach to the finish.
Ryan Day
Roar Guru
Chaves will be next through followed by his fellow Colombian Quintana.