Stage 13 of the Tour de France was a showcase of power and dominance from Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), but further back in the field, a separate battle was raging as riders sought to beat the time cut to stay in the race.
Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) finished the stage with just 45 seconds to spare from the time cut and ejection from the Tour de France. The Belgian rode into Peyragudes 8:27 behind the yellow jersey, in 170th place, second last to Luka Mezgec (Team Jayco AlUla).
However, had the stage's original time cut of 33% stood, Pogačar's 23-minute finish time would have ejected anyone outside of 30:59, meaning Merlier's 31:27 would have seen him leaving the race.
Instead, the race jury extended the time cut to 40% of the winner's time, just 9 minutes ahead of the official start time.
According to Het Laatste Nieuws, this sparked a number of complaints from fellow riders.
"I'd never ridden a time trial with a 33% time limit before," said Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike). "So it was already a bit steep. Why raise it even higher? This is the Tour, after all, the highest level of cycling? Eventually, they'll say: 'If you're not eligible for the overall or stage win in such a race, simply signing the start sheet is enough and you can start the next day.'"
The time cut for the Tour de France has a very specific methodology, with each stage assigned a coefficient from 1-6 depending on difficulty, with time trials typically assigned a coefficient of 6. This is then put against the average speed of the winner to determine an overall percentage, and the methodology usually means a time gap of over 19% is unlikely on any stage.
For stage 13, the Tour's road book had prescribed a 33% cut in advance of the beginning of the Grand Tour. While a change can occasionally be warranted because of adverse conditions, this doesn't seem to have been the case on Friday's stage.
“There was no reason for it, if it were suddenly 45 degrees or a thunderstorm broke out," Tiesj Benoot (Team Visma–Lease a Bike) said to HLN.
"A sprinter who wants to win the green jersey has to prepare specifically to get over the mountains, which is detrimental to their sprinting ability. If you give them carte blanche in the mountains," he added,
Merlier's progression through stage 13 not only offers him continued shots at sprint stage victory but also a glimpse of the green jersey. Had the 33% cut stayed in place, Merlier, Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) and Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) would have all returned home – transforming the sprint competition for the remainder of the race.
At a hundred-point deficit, Wout van Aert (Team Visma–Lease a Bike) is perhaps out of contention for the green jersey, but still added his criticism alongside fellow Visma–Lease a Bike riders.
"The time trial had been like this for months, with the time limit set at 33 per cent," he said. "And suddenly, ten minutes before the start, that time limit was raised to 40 per cent. I find that really disappointing, especially since the conditions haven't really changed."
"This should have been announced in advance and made clear."
Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) continues to lead the points competition, and with a finish time more than two minutes ahead of Merlier, would have continued in the race even amid a far tougher stage 13 time cut.
Given the momentum of the race so far, though, perhaps Pogačar is the main rival for the green jersey - a view shared with Cyclingnews by former green jersey Robbie McEwen.
The next opportunity for the sprinters will come on stage 17 from Bollène to Valence.
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