While Chris Froome sealed his fourth Tour de France title in the individual time trial on Saturday, the final stage should be just a culmination and procession. Runner-up was Rigoberto Uran of Team Cannondale-Drapac, 54 seconds behind Froome.
Boasson Hagen was part of a 20-man group that Froome and Team Sky gave freedom to escape from the peloton because none of them presented a threat to his overall lead.
He was thrilled by the support in Marseille, where the start and finish of the time trial were in the Stade Velodrome football stadium, calling the atmosphere "enormous".
The Tour de France is a lengthy multiple stage bike race held mostly in France (though it does occasionally take detours into neighbouring countries).
He's 29sec behind Froome but has good form in time-trials as a former national champion and victor of a stage at the Giro d'Italia in the discipline.
"Three weeks of racing are nearly at an end - we've still got to get to Paris but this is an awesome feeling".
Saturday's 22.5km time-trial around Marseille offers Bardet and Uran one last chance to try to dethrone three-time victor Froome, who is widely considered the best time-trialist of the three.
Froome's nearest challenger for the yellow jersey is Frenchman Romain Bardet, who he beat by 39 seconds in the Tour's opening time trial in Duesseldorf.
"Each time I've won the Tour, it's been so unique, so different, such a different battle to get to this moment", Froome said. I didn't think it would come down to this TT in Marseille but it did.
'Supergirl' Season 3 Spoilers: A Darker Kara, Cat Grant's Return and More
There's no word how long these emotions will last, but it's doubtful that it will stick around much more after Mon El's return . Now, however, the Girl of Steel will have a new rogue to face. "If ain't broke, don't fix it", Benoist said of her suit.
"I don't know if anything will happen".
Froome is edging closer to five-time Tour winners Jacques Anquetil, Eddie Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain.
We'll never know whether Hinault could have gone on to more Tour victories but Froome is now the same age as the Frenchman was when he quit and shows no sign of slowing down.
Asked by local broadcaster France Televisions about the time trial course, Taylor Phinney said it will suit Chris Froome because it is fast and features a tricky ascent: a short but steep climb to Notre-Dame de la Garde cathedral.
Everyone was in high spirits, happy to be make it through a grueling race that saw Australian Richie Porte, one of the pre-race favorites, and Froome's teammate Geraint Thomas both crash out.
"I want to say "thank you" to the other riders for not attacking", Froome said. I want to hang on to the podium spot.
While Froome won at least one stage en route to each of his previous Tour victories, he'll leave the 2017 edition without a stage win to his name.
There more British success in the shape of Simon Yates, who cemented his lead in the white jersey competition for the best young rider.
"Especially coming into cycling quite late in my life ... obviously [with] my childhood back in Africa I only started watching the Tour de France in the years that Lance Armstrong was racing with Ivan Basso".
Comments