Tour de France Stage 7 TT Preview

The first of two individual time trials in the 2024 Tour de France will occur on stage 7, spanning 25.3 km from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin. Nearly two-thirds of the route navigates forest roads before reaching the heart of the vineyards.

The contenders

This is the first of two individual time trials, and it’s the flattest, favouring pure time trial specialists. Expect to see these experts high up in the stage rankings. World champion Remco Evenepoel (Soudal–Quick-Step) has likely targeted this stage due to his time trial prowess. Currently sitting second in the General Classification (GC), Evenepoel aims to reduce the gap between him and the leader. His recent form suggests a strong performance on stage seven. We took a look at who might perform the best between Pogacar and Remco here.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), holds a 45-second advantage over the Belgian in the GC. Pogačar, a formidable time trialist, showcased his abilities during the Giro d’Italia in May, winning one time trial and placing second behind TT specialist Filippo Ganna.

Olympic time trial champion Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) also seeks to leverage his time trial skills to close the gap on Pogačar. However, he will need to demonstrate improved form compared to his earlier performances in the race.

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) are also strong time trialists. Vingegaard excels in Grand Tours, while Ayuso has shown consistent time trial performance early in his career. Although neither is expected to win the stage, they should maintain their positions relative to the other contenders.

Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) is a strong contender for the stage victory despite his inconsistent form. He is aiming for stage wins throughout these three weeks and will seize any opportunity to do so. Another potential stage winner is Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost), who finished second in the Swiss National Championships, an event of similar length. 

The Swiss ITT national champion, Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), will also be competing in this stage. Additionally, Bruno Armirail (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team), Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility), and Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) are also in contention for a strong performance in the first individual time trial.

How fast will they ride?

Using some “good GC time trial” numbers, we can see the winning speed will be around 50kph – probably slightly above.

The TT is net tailwind, with the bulk of the climbing being done at “high pace” my prediction is Remco Evenepoel to take the victory today with a very slim margin over Pogacar.