Étoile de Bessèges – stage 5 time trial start times

After four days of racing, the final day of Étoile de Bessèges, the first European stage race of 2021, is upon us.

Stage 5 brings a short, 11-kilometre time trial in Alès to conclude the race, with a flat opening 8.5 kilometres culminating in a 2.5-kilometre, 8 per cent climb.

Lotto Soudal's Tim Wellens holds a commanding 44-second overall lead after his solo victory on stage 3. The Belgian, who sets off last at 15:45 (CET), is highly likely to hang onto his lead and take the orange jersey on Sunday afternoon.

Before he crosses the line, though, a battle is likely to rage among the riders lying between second and 11th place. Lying in that group are stars such as Michał Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers), Philippe Gilbert (Lotto Soudal) and Greg Van Avermaet (AG2R Citroën) looking to usurp the podium spots currently held by Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo) and Mads Würtz Schmidt (Israel Start-Up Nation).

That group of riders start setting off at 15:23 (CET), beginning with Cyril Barthe (B&B Hotels p/b KTM), with each rider thereafter setting off in two-minute intervals. Every previous rider will set off in one-minute intervals.

Stay on Cyclingnews for full live coverage of the stage 5 time trial, and check our How to watch Étoile de Bessèges page for information on how to watch the action live, wherever you are.