Tour de France 2020: decisive time trial on stage 20 – live!

How things stand: The stage favourites have yet to start, while Remi Cavagna is the leader with 57min 54sec. 90 riders have started the course, 52 have finished it so far and 56 are still to go.

Tour of Luxembourg: This week’s race has been beset by traffic problems – specifically the problem of motorised traffic finding its way on to the course, provoking the ire of the competing cyclists. According to my colleague James Dart, things don’t seem to have improved as the race has progressed.

Remi Cavagna: Speaking to French TV, the current leader says he expects the favourites to knock 45 seconds to a minute off his time of 57min 54sec.

“I haven’t changed bike because I’m used to riding my TT bike,” he says. “Changing bike, I would have lost 30 to 40’ seconds. Wearing the national champion jersey gives wings. Without the encouragements at the end, I would have lost ten seconds or more. I’m so happy with this blue, white and red jersey, I’m proud to wear it and honour it.”

Thibaut Pinot: The French rider has had a disappointing Tour following his crash in the closing stages of the opening stage three weeks ago. Today is a special occasion for the French rider, who grew up in Lure and the starting ramp is set up outside the school he attended as a teenager. Local mayor Regis Pinot is the Groupama-FDJ rider’s father. Pinot is scheduled to set off at 3.16pm (BST).

Cavagna breaks the hour mark: Deceuninck–Quick-Step rider Remi Cavagna is the first of the riders to finish inside the hour, clocking a time of 57min 54sec.

King of the Mountains: Ineos Grenadiers rider Richard Carapaz wears the polka-dot jersey, leading the King of the Mountains classification with 74 points. Tadej Pogacar is three points behind him in second place, while Primoz Roglic is a further five points back in third. If Roglic and Pogacar set the first and second best times up the final climb today, Carapaz will need to be third fastest to secure the jersey.

“The two Slovenians are very good time trialists,” said his team-mate Pavel Sivakov. “Even doing the first part flat out, they’re able to do a very good time up the hill while Richard will save energy for the hill. We hope for the strategy to work out. Richard will of course change bike for the climb. We’re confident but not overconfident.”

A new time to beat: Israel Start-Up Nation’s Nils Politt chips almost a minute off Chevalier’s time, rolling home in 1hr 00min 59sec. Who’ll be the first to break an hour?

The time to beat: B&B Hotels rider Maxime Chevalier is the very early clubhouse leader, having covered the course in 1hr 1min 57sec.

“It was important for me to test myself in such a long time trial, especially at the Tour de France,” said the 21-year-old. “I was willing to give it all till the end. This was my first time changing bike voluntarily in a time trial. It cuts the legs a bit. The change of position and rhythm from the flat section to the uphill was kind of special but I’m satisfied to complete the Tour even though there’s one last stage tomorrow.

“I was very afraid when I started because this is only my first pro year. I thank the team for trusting me. I have learned enormously although the Tour de France is something hard every day. As a team we’ve had a good Tour with a lot of top 10.”

Caleb Ewan changes his bike: Third last on GC but with two stage wins to his name on this year’s Tour already, the Australian switches from his time trial bike to a road bike before taking on the final climb.

To change bikes or not to change?

Much of the chat around today’s stage has revolved around whether or not riders will or should switch bikes before beginning their ascent of Les Planche des Belles Filles. The first 30 flat and rolling kilometres are considerably different to the last six, which are practically uphill. What are the benefits of switching from a TT bike to a road bike for the climb? And at what point along the route should riders intent on doing so … do so? Here’s a bespectacled Australian from the Lanterne Rouge podcast to explain …

Today’s time-checks

We’ll be able to monitor, compare and contrast the progress of assorted riders at three different locations on today’s route, with the final one at Les Planches des Belles Filles the only one that really matters.

• Le Raddon: 21.8km to go
• Plancher Les Mines: 5.9km to go
• Point Chrono a Mi-Pente: 2.7km to go
• La Planche des Belles Filles: The finish.

Today’s stage favourites

Primoz Roglic is the favourite to win today’s time trial, but may not have it all his own way. His team-mates Wout van Aert and Tom Dumoulin are also fancied to do well, while Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates), Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers) and Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo) could also find themselves in the mix. Kwiatkowski is 29th on GC and will be the first of that quintet to go against the clock today at 3.18pm (BST) and should set a decent time to beat.

Today’s times …

While it would be a pleasure to have your company for the entirety of today’s stage, the big-hitters in terms of General Classification won’t be going out for another three hours. Roglic’s Jumbo-Visma team-mate Wout van Aert is in 20th place on General Classification and is due to set off at 3.36pm (BST). Roglic is due to go at 4.14pm (BST), two minutes after his compatriot Tadej Pogacar.

Stage 20 is go: This year’s Lanterne Rouge, Roger Kluge (Lotto-Soudal) was the first of the 146 riders to roll down the ramp, followed by his team-mates Frederik Frison and Caleb Ewan at 30-second intervals. Almost six hours behind Primoz Roglic, the race leader on General Classification, Kluge will need a big effort today if he is to challenge the Slovenian. One suspects, like many of the competitors, his will be a fairly leisurely cycle along today’s course. While the stragglers are leaving the starter’s hut every 90 seconds, the final 74 will go out every two minutes.

Denmark’s Søren Kragh Andersen won the stage, while Primoz Roglic ticked off another stage amid ongoing controversy surrounding his team boss Merijn Zeeman’s expulsion from the Tour.

From William Fotheringham’s stage-by-stage guide: Time was the Tour had up to 120km of time trials but that has been whittled down to create more exciting racing for television. A steep uphill finish like this one should confirm what we’ve seen on the climbs in the past few days; France will be praying for a good Tour from Pinot, whose home village of Melisey features early on today.