Stage seven at the Tour de France saw the peloton take on a fast 25-kilometre-long time trial from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin, with a one and a half kilometre long hill the main obstacle of the day.
With no real time trial specialists in the squad and there being no need to go all-in for a GC battle, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL took the time trial as an opportunity to keep their legs spinning and to conserve as much energy as possible; or what is at least possible in an effort that averaged roughly 49 kilometres per hour towards the end of the opening week of the Tour. Once the dust had settled, it was Romain Bardet who set the best time of the day for the team.
Bardet expressed: “It was a very nice TT today actually, with very big crowds along the road which was great to see. I could really enjoy it as we got a lot of support from the fans, all while saving energy for the rest of the race where we can look for more opportunities that suit us.”