Alaphilippe 8th in time trial, retains Tour of California lead

Alaphilippe 8th in time trial, retains Tour of California lead

The French cyclist known for his climbing ability turned in a surprising performance in the Stage 6 time trial at the Tour of California, minimizing his losses in a discipline that has proved difficult for him in the past to retain his overall race lead.

Rohan Dennis won the stage with a blistering performance, covering the 12.6-mile course in 24 minutes, 16 seconds.

[...] the Australian rider — one of the world’s best against the clock — was still 16 seconds behind Alaphilippe heading into Saturday’s penultimate stage.

BMC Racing’s Brent Bookwalter turned in the fifth-best time, vaulting into third in the overall standings.

Earlier, Twenty16-Ridebiker won the women’s team time trial over the same course, followed by Boels-Dolmans and UnitedHealthcare.