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As it happenedended

Tour de France 2018 – stage 20 LIVE: Latest updates as Geraint Thomas set to win after flawless time trial

Thomas avoided disaster in the penultimate stage - the 31km individual time trial to Espelette - to earn the right to take the yellow jersey to Paris

Lawrence Ostlere
Espelette
Saturday 28 July 2018 11:15 EDT
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Tour De France 2018- Flash summary Stage 19

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If Tom Dumoulin could have designed the final stage it would have been something like this – a lumpy 31km time trial for which he is a strong favourite. But the Dutchman must make up more than two minutes on Geraint Thomas if he is to win the yellow jersey, and over a course expected to take around 44 minutes that seems an unlikely proposition.

Thomas just needs to avoid some disastrous moment – a crash or puncture or sudden blow-up – on route from Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle to Espelette, and in the form he is in he will surely have enough to clinch his maiden grand tour.

Meanwhile Chris Froome will be fighting with Primoz Roglic for a place on the podium, having been displaced by the Slovenian who won yesterday's stage 19 to Laruns, albeit in controversial circumstances.

Click on stage 20 to refresh the live tracker:

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His lead – 14 seconds over Froome at the 13km mark, 16 seconds over Dumoulin – is enormous. Fascinating to see if he can keep this up.

Lawrence Ostlere28 July 2018 15:52

The gap between Froome and Dumoulin remains at exactly two seconds at the second checkpoint, at 22km. Roglic is way down and Froome is going to clinch a podium spot here.

Lawrence Ostlere28 July 2018 15:58

Thomas's lead at the second checkpoint: 13 seconds. What a performance this is!

Lawrence Ostlere28 July 2018 16:02

Chris Froome clocks the exact same time as Kwiatkowski, though he has been given the provisional lead, and that means he will finish on the podium in Paris, because Primoz Roglic has lost plenty of time. Not a bad result, all told, for the four-time champion.

Lawrence Ostlere28 July 2018 16:07

Doumoulin JUST misses out on beating Froome! That could grab him the stage win, but it guarantees him second place.

However, Thomas looks like he's going to take the spoils...

Jack de Menezes28 July 2018 16:09

That's it! 

Geraint Thomas crosses the line to finish third in the stage 20 time trial, costing him 14 seconds to Tom Dumoulin but retaining the yellow jersey.

That means that Geraint Thomas just needs to cycle into Paris tomorrow to win his first Tour de France!

Jack de Menezes28 July 2018 16:13

There's a fair amount of confusion down on the finish line, mainly because nobody is quite sure who's won the stage. Froome looked to have just done enough when Dumoulin crossed the line, but the times have been altered to show the time trial world champion ahead by a single second, with Thomas 14 seconds off the leading time. Neither Froome nor Dumoulin are quite sure who's won, but there's smiles all round regardless.

Not least over in team Thomas, where his wife Sara has joined him much to his surprise!

Jack de Menezes28 July 2018 16:15
Jack de Menezes28 July 2018 16:17

Confirmation that Tom Dumoulin has won stage 20, much to his delight, by just one second from Chris Froome.

That secures him second place at Le Tour with Froome joining him and Thomas on the podium after he overhauled Primoz Roglic, who finished down in eighth after taking too much out of himself during yesterday's astonishing victory.

Jack de Menezes28 July 2018 16:20

After no British winners for so, so long, Britain now has its third Tour de France champion in the space of seven years, with Geraint Thomas following in the footsteps of Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome, and ensuring that he is the first Welshman to ride into Paris in yellow. It also continues Team Sky's remarkable run of form at the Tour de France, clinching their sixth victory in the last sevens years.

Jack de Menezes28 July 2018 16:26

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