Experts expected Cadel Evans to draw even or even pass Sastre; in past time trials, Evans won by more than two-and-a-half minutes.
However, Sastre was in excellent form and Evans was struggling from the start of the stage. In the end, Evans came in second for the second year in a row, and Carlos Sastre kept the yellow jersey and the overall lead.
“Winning the Tour de France is a dream come true,” Sastre said after the race. “Above all, it’s a special day for the whole CSC-Saxo Bank team. It was impossible to do this without them. It is extremely motivating to know that all the riders were ready to be at my service.”
Stefan Schumacher won the stage, as he won Stage Four the first time trial of the Tour. European time trial champion Fabian Cancellara took second, while Team Columbia rider Kim Kirchen captured third.
“I never even thought I was going to win,” Stefan Schumacher told reporters. “It wasn’t even in my mind. I only tried to find my rhythm and give it 100 percent.”
The Decisive Stage
Stage Twenty of the 2008 Tour de France was the all-important time trial, thirty-three miles of undulating road that would probably decide the overall Tour winner.
The final fifteen kilometers of the route, were the hardest, with a short steep climb and then a slightly longer, if less steep climb; neither were even noticeable compared to the mountains the Tour had climbed, but together they were enough to sap the energy from legs that had crossed France for three weeks, and then spent 45 minutes flat-out in the stage to that point. These last fifteen km made the stage one for powerful, rather than fast riders: Cadel Evans or Denis Menchov over Carlos Sastre, perhaps.
CSC rider Carlos Sastre led by 1:24 over teammate Frank Schleck and 1:34 over Silence-Lotto rider Cadel Evans at the start of the race, but Cadel Evans is a time trial specialist; were everyone fresh, Evans could be expected to gain that much over his main opponents.
However, after three weeks of hard riding, much of it unsupported by his team, Evans’ legs were questionable; in Stage Seventeen, when he desperately needed to make up time, he was unable to maintain an attack through the final few kilometers.
Carlos Sastre is not known as a time trial specialist, but with his lead, and the motivation of keeping the yellow jersey and winning the Tout, he would need only to ride very well; while he was sure to make an extraordinary effort, merely a good ride could have been enough to keep him on top.
Another rider of note was Christian Vande Velde, four-and-a-half minutes back, but another time-trial specialist. Riding in his first tour and finishing extraordinarily well, Vande Velde was looking for a Stage win and a top-three overall finish on the strength of his ride in this stage.
Denis Menchov, down 2:39, and Bernhard Kohl, 1:33 behind, were not known as time trial specialists, but both were well positioned should they turn in a surprisingly good performance, to upset the standings.
Great Riders Making Great Rides
Christian Vande Velde turned in a great ride, coming in fourth overall—well the best time trial of the top five in GC—and fifth in the General Classification. Vande Velde has showed that after years of working to support Lance Armstrong, he is ready to lead a team of his own.
Menchov also rode a strong race, gaining thirty-four seconds to finish in fourth place overall. Had he not had a few unfortunate crashes and a bad descent early in the Tour, he might well have earned a podium finish in Paris.
Cadel Evans never looked good; right out of the box he appeared to be struggling, trying to turn too high a gear.
Possibly it was the pressure of expectation, possibly the knowledge that this might have been his last chance to win a Tour, or possibly the thousands of kilometers of riding at the front with very little team support; whatever the reason, Cadel Evans did not have a good day. [caption id=“attachment_71056” align=“alignright” width=“320” caption="Cadel Evans rode as hard as he could, visibly straining, but just didn
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