It was as if Tom Dumoulin (Giant - Alpecin) was simply playing in his own garden.  Racing on a course that was tailor-made for his skills, the Dutch rider made mincemeat out of his neatest competitors.  Simply overpowering the course, Dumoulin, who is a time trial specialist, took control of the 38.7km circuit around Burgos with a time of 46’01”, which puts his average speed at 50.46km/h. 

As a result of his efforts, he did take over the red leader’s jersey once again.  But no one should feel too comfortable since he is in the lead by a mere three seconds ahead of Fabio Aru (Astana) and 1'15 '' in front of Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), who was relegated to third place overall.  With some days in the mountains still to look forward to for the entire peloton, Dumoulin, who has won two stages in this Vuelta already, will have to measure his efforts if he wants to be in red come Madrid on Sunday. 

IAM Cycling’s Jérôme Coppel could feel pleased with his day as well since he took a strong 5th place in the time trial.  Resplendent in the colors as the French time trial champion, Coppel demonstrated great professionalism and an excellent understanding of the course in order to achieve this result.

In the shadow of the cathedral in Burgos, Jérôme Coppel, with a face still marked by the effort of the day, took time to respond to the journalists.  Many wanted to hear the impressions of the French time trial champion regarding the course, and their enthusiasm was an early indicator of just how good his performance proved to be.  

“I have not raced since the Tour de France, so this time trial was a good test to reassure myself,” Coppel explained.  “I really didn’t know where I stood.  There was no individual time trial at the Tour, not counting the prologue, which is different.  I hadn’t been able to race a real time trial since the championships in France.  So I am satisfied with my performance.  

"The sensations were good. The first suited me well, the second part a bit less because it was less hard. All in all it was a good performance ahead of the world championships. It was a good rehearsal, especially since I had not done a proper time trial since the French championships.

"It often happens like this: when it is hard or complicated, I tend to feel pretty good.  But when the profile gets to be too rolling, then I have more trouble.  The final part was really technical and complicated because we had to manage our efforts from the start just to save the energy we would need for that final climb in the last kilometers.  And then the descent just after that was not easy to negotiate either.  But overall it was a great course, quite well-rounded with hard portions at the beginning, more rolling in the middle and then very technical at the end. 

"Going forward, the rest of the race has a profile that is very suitable for Tom Dumoulin, but it will be important to see how he can recover after all these efforts.  A big time trial the day after a rest day, not to mention the fifteen previous days of racing, definitely leaves its mark on a rider, I can assure you.  But now he has the advantage over his major rivals.”

It is an advantage that ensures a good fight during these last stages of the Tour of Spain, before the final arrival in Madrid.  But the battle for the red jersey is not one that has occupied IAM Cycling.  Mario Chiesa, directeur sportif for the Swiss professional team alongside Eddy Seigneur, explained: 

“We knew this morning that Tom Dumoulin was the favorite for the day,” Chiesa said.  “And of course, he has confirmed his good form at the moment, and his strength as a rider. 

"As for IAM Cycling, it is obvious that we can’t play the same game here as the overall contenders.  There are still several of them who will be battling for the red jersey, but we will have to have a different focus.  We will still look to join the right breakaways and in that way hope to surprise the favorites. 

"In this light, I think that Jérôme Coppel, among others, could once again show himself as he did today in the time trial.  I knew he was in good condition and that he had prepared well for this stage.  Jérôme showed great control and managed his efforts perfectly.  I am really very happy with him.  Sylvain Chavanel also made an excellent effort, but I think his crash on Monday compromised his chances of having a better result.”