The pure time trialler has largely disappeared. Nowadays, the best riders against the clock have other skills such as classics (Cancellara), stage racing (Froome & Wiggins) or hilly breakaway riding (Martin). Unless you're a team leader, most riders on a team are expected to provide value on every single stage and time triallers are no exception. I would predict that in 5 years we will see very very few time trial specialists but instead a small group of the most talented time trial riders, who also have other skills, at the top of the standings.
Bob Jungels
Age in 2020: 27
Current Team: Trek Factory Racing
Pro TT wins: 2 (Etoile de Besseges 2015, National Championships 2013)
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| Jungels might be the future for Luxembourg. |
The important thing to remember about Jungels is that he is not just a time trialler. He can also turn his hand to hilly races and, within reason, more mountainous stages. Expect him to focus more on stage racing in the near future. 2011 was the first year of note for Jungels, he came 3rd overall in the senior Fleche du Sud, won both national titles at U23 level and then finished the year with 16th at the U23 World Championships despite being around 2 years younger than most of the competition. 2012 was another step up for the young Luxembourgeois as he won the overall in the Triptyque des Monts et Chateaux, the overall Fleche du Sud including the time trial, Paris-Roubaix espoirs race, the senior national time trial championships and then 12th in the U23 World Championship time trial. He turned pro in 2013 with Radioshack, throughout the season he raced in 8 time trials, coming in the top 10 in 6 of those. He also made progress away from the time trials, winning his first pro race at the GP Nobili before 5th at the Tour de Luxembourg and another win at the National Championship road race. Last year was something of a disappointment for Jungels, although he did make progress in the World Tour time trials; 3rd in the Dauphine opening time trial, 13th in the Pais Vasco TT and 13th in the Vuelta TT.
This year has been an improvement, he won this first race of the season, Etoile des Besseges, after winning the final stage time trial. He will be heading to the Tour after racing the Tour de Suisse and although there's a limited amount of time trialling in the race this year he will still be hoping for a top 10 in the opening time trial. He should also be looking for a top 25 overall or a stage win come July.
Tom Dumoulin
Age in 2020: 29
Current Team: Team Giant-Alpecin
Pro TT wins: 6 (Criterium International 2014, Eneco Tour 2014, Tour of Alberta 2014, National Championships 2014, Vuelta Pais Vasco 2015, Tour de Suisse 2015)
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| Dumoulin is almost the finished article. |
There's not much risk in this prediction. Dumoulin has been on a steady rise into the rarified air of the best time triallers in the world. He might end the year as World Champion and with a Tour de France yellow jersey to his name.
Dumoulin turned pro in 2012 and although he had some good results; 5th in the Tour de Luxembourg and 5th in the Rund um Koln were the best, he didn't look like being a future time trial star. Again, 2013 was a good year for the Dutchman but he looked like he was going to turn into a stage racer who's success was based around time trialling; 5th in the Tour of Belgium and 2nd in the Eneco Tour seemed to prove this. Last year was a massive year for Dumoulin, he appeared to shift his focus to the time trial and ended up winning 4 time trials in the year. Perhaps more impressively were his performances in the Tour de France; 2nd in the 54km time trial and the World Championships where he came in 3rd just 40 seconds behind Wiggins.
This year has been sensational so far, he has won 100% of the time trials he has raced (2/2) and 4th overall in the Tour Down Under. As I speak he is the yellow jersey in the Tour de Suisse and although he won't win the race he does have a good chance of taking the final 38km time trial and bookending his week. There's under a month until the start of the Tour de France and the sensible money would be on Dumoulin arriving in Utrecht as the Dutch champion and anything less than a podium after the opening stage would be a huge disappointment.
Stefan Küng
Age in 2020: 26
Current Team: BMC Racing Team
Pro TT wins: 0
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| He's yet to win a Pro TT race but that will only be a matter of time. |
Kung is still incredibly young but he's made some serious progress so far this year and he's well on the way to taking Cancellara's mantel as the best Swiss time trialler. He came to prominence in 2013 by winning the U23 Swiss National championships and coming 6th in the U23 World Championship time trial. 2014 was his last year as an amateur and he had a pretty spectacular goodbye winning the Tour of Normandy after winning the opening prologue. He then went on to add the Fleche Ardennaise one day race before coming 2nd in the senior Swiss time trial championships and won both the time trial and the road race in the U23 European Championships which was the first time anyone has ever doubled up in the events 19 year history. Kung finished the year by coming 3rd in the U23 World time trial championships.
Although Stefan has had a number of spectacular years you can argue that 2015 has been his best year to date. He started by becoming World Individual Pursuit champion, beating Jack Bobridge in the final in France. He then came 4th in the Three Days of De Panne overall which was largely built on his 2nd place behind Wiggins in the time trial. He also won the Volta Limburg Classic from a breakaway and then took the biggest win in his career again from a breakaway in the 4th stage of the Tour of Romandie.
Unfortunately Kung is out injured at the moment so he won't be heading to the Tour and it's unlikely that he will be able to try and overhaul Cancellara's Swiss national time trial domination. However, he will hopefully be back to race in the Vuelta where he will have a chance to go for stage wins and should target the stage 17 time trial. He's still very young and in 5 years there is a chance that he may move more towards stage racing, giving his track experience he has a perfect blue print to follow in Bradley Wiggins.
Fabio Felline
Age in 2020: 30
Current Team: Trek Factory Racing
Pro TT wins: 1 (Criterium International 2015)
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| If he decides to focus his huge talents on time trialling then he could be World Champion. |
Felline has had a very strong season so far although he's not just shown his abilities against the clock. He is a very talented all round rider who is currently working out which skill to focus on. What is certain though is that he is one of the best time triallers in the world at the moment and he should continue to improve with age.
Felline has been a pro since 2010 when he rode for Footon Servetto, he had a sensational first season winning two stages and the overall of the Circuit de Lorraine and he also raced the Tour de France although he failed to finish. He stayed with the team as they transferred to Geox TMC although his 2012 season was a disappointment with only one win, a stage of the Brixia Tour. In 2012 and 2013 he moved to the Androni Giocattoli team, in 2012 he had two wins; Giro del'Appennino and the Memorial Marco Pantani as well as finishing the Giro with a 2nd place finish on a stage. In 2013 we saw more of the same from the young Italian with a stage win in the Coppi e Bartali and the Tour de Slovenia and another 2nd place stage finish at the Giro. In 2014 he raced and finished both the Vuelta and the Giro for the Trek Factory Racing team although he wasn't able to bag a victory, nor were his time trial results anything special.
2015 has so far been a revelation, he has already managed 2 victories; Criterium International time trial and the Pais Vasco stage 2. He has also got a host of top 10 placings and a team best 32nd at the Giro. He's consistently performed agains the clock this year, in fact in the 4 time trials he has raced he has never once finished outside the top 10. Expect to see him go to the Vuelta again this year where a top 25 is certainly possible as well as a potential time trial stage win towards the end of the race.
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