The Italian comes home seventh after another impressive ride.
The longest individual time trial in eight years at the Tour de France put the stunning town of Rocamadour on the map for the first time, confirming there are still many places which the race is yet to discover. The 40.7km course was a demanding one, comprising technical descents, tricky corners and two small but punchy climbs spicing up the last five kilometers.
Silver medalist against the clock last month at the National Championships, Mattia Cattaneo put in a rock-solid ride and finished the day as Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl’s best placed rider in the stage classification, where at one point he held the second-fastest time, which only the World Champion could improve. Seventh in the end after averaging more than 49km/h, Cattaneo saw his result as another major improvement he has made in the discipline since joining Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl.
“It was a very hard stage, with a complicated course where you needed to be really focused and pace yourself without going into the red, but I tried to do my best. The level was really high, as it has been these three weeks, that’s why I am content with my result. This top 10 keeps me motivated to continue working in this direction, because I like time trials and I can see the steps forward I have made with the Wolfpack”, said Mattia at the end of stage 20.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
