The 2014 Tour de France rides from Bergerac to Périgueux in ts penultimate stage with two podium spots still available. The three men behind presumptive winner Vincenzo Nibali -- Thibaut Pinot, Jean-Christophe Péraud and Alejandro Valverde -- will likely carry the majority of the drama in the race’s home stretch.
Tour de France 2014, Stage 20: Route, TV schedule and more
There’s still space on the podium as the Tour gears up for the homestretch of the final weekend.
Bryn Lennon
With a time trial, they’ll have a proper stage for it. And after a wild Stage 19, filled with crashes and spills on a wet course, the second-to-last stage’s unique format should provide a welcome change of pace.
Tour de France chronicle
It's the only time trial of the 2014 Tour de France, according to CyclingQuotes.com, and German Tony Martin -- the Tour de France website calls him one "of the three best time trialists of the current era" -- is the favorite to win it. But, even for those who finish behind the winner, there is a great amount of time that can be made up. Especially when 15 seconds is all that stands between second place or sitting off the podium.
None of this should concern Nibali, who is a full 7:10 clear of his nearest competitor, Pinot. But Péraud sits 13 seconds behind Pinot, with Valverde on his back tire at 7:25, thought here’s nothing stopping the Italian from going for broke on the time trial to top a solid run at the top of the General Classification.
Here’s a look at the map for the route, courtesy of the Tour’s website:
Here’s a look at the route, with stopwatches designating where the time trials will be taking place:
The Tour will be broadcast on NBCSN at 8 a.m. ET, and will be replayed at 8 p.m and 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.
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