Just 16.85km separate Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) from another overall victory at the Tour de Romandie. The Slovenian carries a lead of 12 seconds over Rui Costa (UAE Team Emirates) into today's final time trial, with David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) a further 4 seconds back in third.
The general classification is as follows ahead of stage 5:
1 Primoz Roglic (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma 15:05:13 2 Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:12 3 David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:16 4 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 0:00:26 5 Felix Großschartner (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:29 6 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Team Jumbo-Visma 0:00:37 7 Michael Woods (Can) EF Education First 0:00:38 8 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:39 9 Carlos Betancur (Col) Movistar Team 0:00:57 10 Simon Spilak (Slo) Katusha-Alpecin 0:01:00 11 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin 12 Mathias Frank (Swi) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:05 13 Eduardo Sepulveda (Arg) Movistar Team 0:01:09 14 Guillaume Martin (Fra) Wanty-Gobert 15 Carl Fredrik Hagen (Nor) Lotto Soudal 0:01:11 16 James Knox (GBr) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:01:31 17 Tanel Kangert (Est) EF Education First 0:01:59 18 Riccardo Zoidl (Aut) CCC Team 0:02:00 19 Damien Howson (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott 0:02:19 20 Winner Anacona (Col) Movistar Team 0:02:23
Some 27 riders have already finished the time trial, with Maciej Bodnar (Bora-Hansgrohe) the quickest man thus far. The full start order is here. The riders are currently setting out at one-minute intervals, with two minutes then separating each of the last twenty starters, as listed below:
99 Winner Anacona (Col) Movistar Team 14:02:00 100 Damien Howson (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott 14:04:00 101 Riccardo Zoidl (Aut) CCC Team 14:06:00 102 Tanel Kangert (Est) EF Education First 14:08:00 103 James Knox (GBr) Deceuninck-QuickStep 14:10:00 104 Carl Fredrik Hagen (Nor) Lotto Soudal 14:12:00 105 Guillaume Martin (Fra) Wanty-Gobert 14:14:00 106 Eduardo Sepulveda (Arg) Movistar Team 14:16:00 107 Mathias Frank (Swi) AG2R La Mondiale 14:18:00 108 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin 14:20:00 109 Simon Spilak (Slo) Katusha-Alpecin 14:22:00 110 Carlos Betancur (Col) Movistar Team 14:24:00 111 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe 14:26:00 112 Michael Woods (Can) EF Education First 14:28:00 113 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Team Jumbo-Visma 14:30:00 114 Felix Großschartner (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe 14:32:00 115 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 14:34:00 116 David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ 14:36:00 117 Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates 14:38:00 118 Primoz Roglic (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma 14:40:00
The provisional top five is as follows:
1 Maciej Bodnar (Bora-Hansgrohe) 00:20:44 2 Jan Tratnik (Bahrain-Merida) 00:20:46 3 Ryan Mullen (Trek-Segafredo) 00:21:22 4 Tom Bohli (UAE Team Emirates) 00:21:22 5 Daniil Fominykh (Astana Pro Team) 00:21:32
Filippo Ganna (Team Ineos) has just established a new quickest mark. The Italian streaked around the course some 31 seconds faster than Bodnar and might be settling in for a long afternoon in the hot seat.
Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Soudal) clocks a new quickest time. The Belgian stops the clock in 20:11, two seconds quicker than Ganna. They are the only two riders so far to average more than 50kph on this course. Campenaerts was 4 seconds up on Ganna at the midway point and held enough of his speed in the finale to move into the hotseat.
Tony Martin (Jumbo-Visma) was 9 seconds down at the midway point and then finished very rapidly indeed, but the German has to settle for the provisional third best time, 3 seconds behind Campenaerts.
Will Barta (CCC) produced a very solid 20:41, good enough for the fourth best time to date. The American's first races in the WorldTour peloton were also his first races since breaking his femur at last year's under-23 Giro d'Italia, but he has settled well into the professional ranks.
8th best time thus far for Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck-QuickStep), 40 seconds down on Campenaerts.
The fastest times at the finish at this juncture are:
1 Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Soudal) 00:20:11 2 Filippo Ganna (Team Ineos) 00:20:13 3 Tony Martin (Jumbo-Visma) 00:20:14 4 Will Barta (CCC) 00:20:41 5 Maciej Bodnar (Bora-Hansgrohe) 00:20:44
Away from the Tour de Romandie, Egan Bernal will miss the Giro d'Italia after breaking his collarbone while training in Andorra. The Colombian's absence means that the Ineos challenge will likely be led by Tao Geoghegan Hart and Pavel Sivakov, who impressed at the recent Tour of the Alps. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports, meanwhile, that Gianni Moscon's lack of form has cost him selection for the Giro, even in the absence of Bernal.
Already a stage winner this week, Stefan Kung (Groupama-FDJ) was among the favourites for today's stage, but the Swiss rider has had to settle for the 4th best time to date, 9 seconds down on Campenaerts.
Joe Dombrowski (EF Education First) begins his effort. The route climbs gently in the opening half before a fast drop back into the finish on Geneva's Quai Gustave-Ador.
Patrick Bevin (CCC) is currently out on the course and riding strongly. The New Zealander was just 4 seconds down on Campenaerts at the time check.
Third best time at the finish for Bevin, just 3 seconds down on Campenaerts. That was a fine effort from the New Zealander.
Into the final 20 starters, who set off at two-minute intervals. Winner Anacona (Movistar) rolls down the start ramp followed by Damien Howson (Mitchelton-Scott).
James Knox (Deceuninck-QuickStep) readies himself in the start house. The Briton begins the stage in 16th overall, 31 seconds shy of a place in the top 10.
11th best time at the finish for Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal), 43 seconds down on Campenaerts.
Hugh Carthy comes home with the 15th best time so far, 53 seconds behind Campenaerts.
Joey Rosskopf (CCC) crosses the finish line with a time 40 seconds down on Campenaerts. Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin), meanwhile, leaves the start house to begin his final test ahead of the Giro d'Italia.
We're into the final ten starters as Simon Spilak (Katusha-Alpecin) rolls down the start ramp. James Knox, meanwhile, has hit the intermediate check just 17 seconds down on Campenaerts.
A reminder of the top 10 at the finish as Carlos Betancur begins his effort:
1 Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Soudal) 00:20:11 2 Filippo Ganna (Team Ineos) 00:20:13 3 Patrick Bevin (CCC Team) 00:20:14 4 Tony Martin (Jumbo-Visma) 00:20:14 5 Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) 00:20:20 6 Will Barta (CCC Team) 00:20:41 7 Maciej Bodnar (Bora-Hansgrohe) 00:20:44 8 Claudio Imhof (Switzerland) 00:20:45 9 Jan Tratnik (Bahrain-Merida) 00:20:46 10 Joey Rosskopf (CCC Team) 00:20:50
Guillaume Martin has struggled through the opening part of the course, and the Frenchman is some 57 seconds down on Campenaerts at the check point.
Michael Woods, the 7th last starter, rolls down the ramp and begins his effort. The Canadian is 38 seconds off Roglic and has just one second in hand on Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe).
Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) is the next man to start. The Dutchman will have hopes of moving up onto the podium this afternoon.
James Knox, as expected perhaps, couldn't quite sustain his pace on the flatter second half of the course, but his provisional time of 15th at 50 seconds is a solid effort all the same.
Zakarin is 19 seconds down on Campenaerts at the midway point, though the more relevant references will be to the men directly ahead of him on GC.
Geraint Thomas (Ineos) begins his effort. After a subdued start to the year, the Welshman has performed well this week in Switzerland and will look to finish strongly here by moving onto the podium.
Spilak is 30 seconds down on Camepnaerts at the 8.2km mark.
Guillaume Martin comes across the finish line some 1:55 down on Campenaerts. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) has started his effort. Only Rui Costa and Primoz Roglic are left to start.
Carlos Betancur is 27 seconds down on Campenaerts at the intermediate checkpoint.
Rui Costa rolls down the start ramp in the green jersey of points leader. Roglic, meanwhile, puts the finishing touches to his warm-up behind the start house.
Primoz Roglic sets off, 16.8km away from a second successive overall win in the Tour de Romandie. All riders have now started.
Zakarin comes across the finish line 47 seconds down on Campenaerts. The Russian still appears a little shy of his best ahead of the Giro, but the race's main difficulties are shoehorned into that demanding final week.
Kruijswijk, meanwhile, is 23 seconds off Campenaerts' split at the 8.2km mark.
Spilak comes home 55 seconds down on Campenaerts, meaning that his teammate Zakarin will move ahead of him on the final GC.
A very solid start from Felix Grosscharner (Bora-Hansgrohe), who is just 10 seconds down at the intermediate split.
Betancur crosses the finish line 1:10 down on Campenaerts.
Geraint Thomas hits the 8.2km mark some 17 seconds down on Campenaerts. As it stands, he drops behind Grosschartner on GC.
13th best time at the finish for Buchmann, 43 seconds down.
Gaudu hits the time check 28 seconds down on Campenaerts, and his podium berth is very much at risk.
Michael Woods reaches the finish 1:27 off the pace in provisional 46th place.
Rui Costa has begun very well indeed. He is just 11 seconds down on Campenaerts at the 8.2km mark, and he is on track to hold off Grosschartner and Thomas and defend second place.
Primoz Roglic is on another level to everybody else, it seems. The Slovenian is 14 seconds up on Campenaerts at the intermediate check. He is on course for a third stage win and, of course, final overall victory.
Felix Großschartner hits the finish line with the 7th best time, 31 seconds down. The Austrian has put himself in with a fighting chance of making the podium ahead of Gaudu and Thomas.
Geraint Thomas crosses the line with the 8th best time, 33 seconds down on Campenaerts. He has - just - held off Großschartner, which might be enough to get him a podium place.
Gaudu finishes in 20th place, 48 seconds down on Campenaerts, meaning that he will drop behind both Thomas and Großschartner in the overall standings.
6th best time for Rui Costa, 24 seconds down on Campenaerts. He will hold on to second overall, but the honours will inevitably go to Roglic.
Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) wins stage 5 of the Tour de Romandie and takes final overall victory.
Roglic was 13 seconds quicker than Campenaerts. That's his third stage win of the race, and his third stage race win of the season. Astounding.
Result:
1 Primoz Roglic (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma 00:19:58 2 Victor Campenaerts (Bel) Lotto Soudal 00:00:13 3 Filippo Ganna (Ita) Team Sky 00:00:15 4 Patrick Bevin (NZl) CCC Team 00:00:16 5 Tony Martin (Ger) Team Jumbo-Visma 6 Stefan Küng (Swi) Groupama-FDJ 00:00:22 7 Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:37 8 Will Barta (USA) CCC Team 00:00:43 9 Felix Großschartner (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:00:44 10 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 00:00:46
General classification:
1 Primoz Roglic (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma 15:25:11 2 Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:49 3 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 00:01:12 4 Felix Großschartner (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:01:13 5 David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ 00:01:17 6 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Team Jumbo-Visma 00:01:33 7 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:01:35 8 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin 00:02:00 9 Simon Spilak (Slo) Katusha-Alpecin 00:02:03 10 Michael Woods (Can) EF Education First 00:02:18
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