Chris Froome (Team Sky) has a significant overall lead of 3:25 in the Tour de France after the time trial. It is a comfortable cushion but for some people are convinced that this Tour de France is far from over.
L'Equipe has found seven reasons why Froome's rivals could be hopeful.
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1. Froome didn’t finish off the time trial strongly 2. The hardest part of this year's Tour is still to come 3. Contador will be exceptional in the third week 4. Froome is already at the peak of his form 5. Team Sky is showing signs of weakness 6. Quintana is ready to attack in the Alps 7. A coalition could be formed to beat Froome
More pseudo science
Team Sky manager David Brailsford has dismissed the debate about power data, performance and suspicion of doping as pseudo science. However Chris Froome's superb performance in the Mont-Saint-Michel time trial has sparked a new tide of analysis, debate and conjecture.
Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Claudio Ghisalberti has calculated that Froome produced 18% more power than main overall rivals Alberto Contador and Alejandro Valverde.
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Gazzetta calculated that Martin produced 480 watts during his TT, pushing a huge gear of 58x11. Froome weighs nine kilogrammes less than Martin but Gazzetta calculates he produced an average of 470 watts during his ride. Valverde and Contador were much slower and produced lower power outputs, reportedly around 385 watts.
Oui, les Francais savent rouler!
"Yes, the French know how to time trial" screamed the patriotic headline in L'Equipe after Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) and Jeremy Roy (FDJ.fr) finished seventh and eighth respectively in the time trial.
According to L'Equipe that was the best result by French riders since 2000 when Christophe Moreau and Laurent Jalabert finished third and sixth behind a certain Lance Armstrong.
Mangeas to call it quits in 2014
Daniel Mangeas, the official announcer of the Tour de France, has confirmed in an interview with Ouest France that the 2014 Tour de France will be his last after 40 years of presenting riders at the start and finish of every stage.
The Frenchman's gravelly but booming voice has become iconic. He blasts names and the palmares of every rider as they sign on at the start and screams at the finish calling the winner and presenting the podium ceremony.
Mangeas started as the race speaker in 1974 and is also the speaker and most other French races.
"I started in 1974 and so it seems right to retire in 2014. It'll be my last. Cette fois, c'est sûr!" he told Ouest France.
Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
