The fifth Tour de France of Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux started with an opening time trial of 13.2 kilometer through the streets of Copenhagen this Friday. With eighteen corners, the flat and technical course became even more difficult because of the rainfall before the start of the first rider at 16h. South-African rider Louis Meintjes, the protected rider of the World Team for the GC, set the 24th time in this stage, 35 second behind the winner and averaging 50km/h.
« This result is a little surprise for me. My feeling was good, although it didn't feel like I took a lot of risks. I did several intense training sessions on the time trial bike this season. Of course, the feeling is always different during the race when you go through the corners under pressure. I did two laps during the recon, but this was on dry roads. I felt safe in the rain on our new Continental GP5000 TT tires, good equipment is an advantage in these conditions. The gaps between the GC riders are not big, but this performance reinforces my confidence at the start of this Tour de France. »
