After three days racing on the open road, the Critérium du Dauphiné peloton took part in the only time trial of the race on stage four, this Wednesday afternoon. Awaiting them was a challenging 34 kilometre long route which featured roughly 450 metres of climbing throughout the parcours. A faster opening section over rolling roads, saw things change after 16 kilometres, where the route would enter the hillier half of the course with multiple dragging ascents where the average gradients were around three to five percent.
Most of the team aimed to get round the course in a good way while GC finisher Warren Barguil went full-gas over the 34 kilometres, pushing himself over the challenging terrain. Setting consistent times throughout the route, Barguil was the team’s best finisher on the day, clocking a final effort of 44 minutes and 31 seconds, ending the day in a commendable overall position and in and around the other climbers.
Speaking after the stage Barguil expressed: “TT days are not normally my favourite discipline, but with the team this winter we worked really hard on my position on the track and with the good material and equipment we have, it’s helped me a lot. I was on a good day today and the course suited me well, and I maybe even waited a bit too much for the last hard part. In the end, I really enjoy doing TT’s more and more with this bike setup we have.”
