On an ordinary time trial day at the Tour de France, Stefan Küng would be licking his lips. The Swiss Groupama-FDJ rider is one of the best rouleurs in the world, with 70% of his career wins being taken against the clock, wins that include the European Championships and the Chrono des Nations. However, stage 16 is no ordinary Tour de France time trial.
"I would characterise it as a mountain time trial," the 29-year-old told Cycling Weekly last week, "You have some flat sections but they are short compared to all the uphill we have to conquer. It's 700m of elevation almost in 22km, so it's not going to be one for the specialists, it's going to be more one for the GC contenders."
