The first of two individual time trials at the 2024 Tour de France takes place on stage 7, a 25.3km route from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin, and it is expected to rearrange the general classification after a pair of sprint stages left the top 10 undisturbed with Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) in command.
The race against the clock is an opportunity for second-placed Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) to flash the rainbow stripes and make a dent in a 45-second deficit to Pogačar in the GC standings.
Reigning time trial Olympic champion Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) is 1:14 back in fifth overall and will use the opportunity to carve away at his fellow Slovenian’s race lead. Expect a strong showing from two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), who won the Tour’s hilly time last year on stage 16. He is currently third overall, 50 seconds back.
Watch for USA’s Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) to take advantage of the undulating course to make a jump into the top 10. Currently 11th overall in a group of four riders 3:21 behind the race leader, Jorgenson finished fourth in the ITT at Critérium du Dauphiné and then used podiums in two climbing stages to finish second overall in that Tour tuneup.
While there is a climb across the route, a rise that averages 6.1% across 1.6km through Reulle-Vergy to Curley, it comes at the mid-point of the race, so it provides any lost momentum to be regained on the 10.9km remaining to the flat finish.
Mark Cavendish, followed by his Astana-Qazaqstan teammate Michael Mørkøv, will lead the process of 174 riders down the start ramp, beginning at 13:05 local time.
The top 10 riders take the course from 16:42 to 17:00, with two-minute intervals. There are three time checks along the route, the first before the climb in Mesanges after 8.6km, the second at the crest of the climb at 14.4km and a third on Morey-Saint-Denis with 6.4km to race.
Organisers estimate the winning time to be in the 29-minute range, so be sure to be tuned into Cyclingnews' live report for all of the updates before the winner is decided.
