An individual time trial of 32 kilometer created a first hierarchy in the general classification of the Criterium du Dauphiné this Wednesday. Louis Meintjes set the best time of the team in his fourth stage, ridden on an almost entirely flat course. Thanks to his 35th place in 37 minutes 57, he climbs to 23rd place in the provisional classification ahead of the decisive stages in the Alps this weekend.
« Time trial is a fantastic discipline. I have a passion for aerodynamics and I care a lot about details in that regard. The team shares this vision and invests continuously with its partners to improve all aspects of our equipment. My performance today was satisfying, even though I wasn’t lucky with the weather circumstances. I was one of the first riders to start and we had to race on wet roads. Also the change of wind direction probably had an influence on the stage results. After this Dauphiné, I will prepare for the national championships in which a top five in the time trial is a realistic ambition. » « This time trial was my 45th race day of the season, or the double of the maximum number of days I’ve raced in one year so far. Before, my main focus was on the track. Since the start of the season I’ve done various races, from the United Arabic Emirates to the Flemish cobbles and Norway. Which enables me to progress on the road. But as there’s an important difference with the previous years as track rider, it’s a challenging learning process. I’m happy with the opportunity to race so other and I’m already looking forward to the next step of my development, in which I will benefit from all these efforts. »
