MARSEILLE

DISTANCE 23KM TERRAIN TIME TRIAL

The pre-Paris time trial has been a staple of the Tour over the last three decades, although it’s appeared just once in the last four editions. Its return this year isn’t a return to formula for Prudhomme, however, with the 23km distance far shorter than the average 52.5km test of the last 15 years. For most fans the time trial is an anticlimactic way to end hostilities and a 50km-plus course can be overly lopsided in favour of the rouleurs, skewing racing for the whole three weeks and encouraging defensive riding. The distance here means that although the likes of Froome and Contador can look forward to gaining time on rivals, they can’t rely on it to define their race. It’s a largely flat, city centre course that begins and ends in Stade Vélodrome, home of Marseille football team, with the climb up to the Notre-Dame de la Garde cathedral the only deviation from horizontal.