A fast and important day on the roads around Perreux.
For the first time in eight years, the Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes held a team time trial, shorter than the one of 2018, but demanding nevertheless. On the menu, 28.4 kilometers over a hilly course starting and finishing in Perreux, a route that promised to open some significant gaps between the general classification contenders, who were more or less on the same time after the first two days of the race.
Soudal Quick-Step was in the first half of the startlist, and our squad - featuring British ITT Champion Ethan Hayter - put in a strong effort that helped us conclude with a time of 34:28 thanks to an average speed of 49.42km/h. Following this stage, Valentin Paret-Peintre remains the squad’s highest-ranked rider in the overall standings.
Traveling from Le Puy-en-Velay to Montrond-les-Bains, stage four comprises six climbs before a long flat section taking to the finish in the town located in the Loire department, and can go both ways: a breakaway has a chance of holding off the peloton, but things can also come back for a reduced bunch sprint.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
