It all comes down to this one question: can our GC man, Mads Würtz Schmidt, step up to the plate tomorrow and produce the result that will land him a podium finish?
Judging by his performance since day one, there is every reason to believe he can. Beyond his power (“I’ve got the legs,” he says), it’s his clear confidence in himself to be able to step up in the crucial moments that will play a deciding role.
In stage 3 we saw him in the game-changing breakaway, and today he drove it home on the last steep hill to the finish, following 150 km of high-intensity racing, which truly showed us what he’s made of. He came up 10th, in front of most of his podium rivals.
Now it comes down to tomorrow’s 10 km TT, and the critical 3 km climb at the end. Mads, a skilled TT performer, analyzed the task at hand:
“I believe I have good chances tomorrow. This is a TT where you have to get the pacing strategy right. You need to start fast but without killing it. Because you need as much power as possible on the climb; you don’t win the TT on the flat part, but you can lose it. So, beyond having the legs, it’s all about being smart.”
Mads is clear about his goal to fight for second overall as Tim Wellens (46 seconds ahead) is out of reach. But eight riders, including Mads, are within a mere 6 seconds of each other.
“I believe in myself for tomorrow. I will give everything I have and aim for that 2nd place in the GC.”
#YallaISN!
The GC leaderboard:
1 WELLENS Tim
Lotto Soudal 13:40:54
2 THEUNS Edward
Trek – Segafredo 0:44
3 WÜRTZ SCHMIDT Mads
Israel Start-Up Nation 0:46
4 KWIATKOWSKI Michał
INEOS Grenadiers 0:48
5 GILBERT Philippe
Lotto Soudal 0:49
6 VAN AVERMAET Greg
AG2R Citroën Team 0:50
7 STEWART Jake
Groupama – FDJ
8 POLITT Nils
BORA – hansgrohe
9 EIKING Odd Christian
Intermarché – Wanty – Gobert Matériaux
10 GOGL Michael
Team Qhubeka ASSOS 0:58
