Our squad took no risks and used the Stage 16 time trial from Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains to open up their legs.

Tomorrow’s stage from Chambéry to Voiron in the foothills of the Alps is a great opportunity to make a breakaway stick. With four short, hard climbs packed into the first 50 kilometers of the race and tough rolling terrain all the way to Voiron, it’s suited to our attackers, who will have more strength after rolling today’s time trial without going into the red. 

After yesterday’s rest day in Chambéry, our guys took their chance to soak in the Tour de France atmosphere and all of the fans cheers on the hilly time trial course above Lac Leman. Michael Valgren even rode his LAB 71 SuperSix EVO to keep his body accustomed to pushing power in his most comfortable position.

Tomorrow, we’re going for the win.

“Today was a quiet day for us. We had nothing to play for. We're waiting for the stages this week, which are much better for us. My legs feel quite good. We had a good rest day. It did us a lot of good. Now, our sights are set on what's coming up this week. We’ve been looking forward to it a lot, we've worked for it, and let's see if it works out. We have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. As long as we're in this, we have to try.” – Richard Carapaz

“I was able to enjoy the crowd again today. I did a nice climb to wake up my legs. It would be tough to restart after two rest days. After that, I was able to finish easily to recover for tomorrow. The objective remains the same: to go out there and win a stage with the team. The third week always brings some great opportunities. Everyone is extremely tired by the final week, which always leaves room for surprises. It's going to be full gas every single day, so we're going to give it everything we've got. Tomorrow's stage starts right near my house. The entire opening section and the loop behind Chambéry are on the roads I train on every day, so it's a real privilege to race here. My fan club will even be out on the hairpin bend at the Col des Prés, so the atmosphere is going to be amazing. First and foremost, the priority is a victory for the team—that would already be fantastic. But on a personal level, of course I want to take a stage win. Everyone does, but it's easier said than done. It’s the Tour de France; the level of competition is insane every single day. You need to have the absolute ride of your life, and the stars really have to align—and that doesn't happen every day.” – Alex Baudin

“The LAB71 SuperSix EVO is a fast aero road bike. I think we proved that today—I put down a pretty solid time trial on a standard road bike, so it must be really fast. Honestly, I was just trying to save my glutes and hamstrings by avoiding the traditional time trial bike. I’m not completely comfortable on that setup yet, whereas this bike is both fast and comfortable, so it was the right choice for today.

“The first 10 kilometers up the climb were purely about leg power. After that came a fast descent—a bit tricky toward the bottom where you really had to stay focused because of a few nasty, high-speed corners. The final nine kilometers were pretty straightforward. If you still had something left in the tank, you could make up a bit of time there if you lost ground on the climb. Overall, it went by quickly—from the top of the climb to the finish line, it was only about a 16- to 18-minute effort.” – Michael Valgren

Our YouTube channel now has 96.3 k subscribers. RaceTV director, cinematographer, producer, audio technician, and all-around film wizard Taylor has made it his personal mission to boost that to 100 k. It’s a nice round number. You have all ridden around the block to watch your bike computer tick over into triple digits. The thing is that Taylor can’t do it himself. He is already staying up to all hours of the night to produce an episode for every stage. His assistant editor Nick has turned a camper into an editing suite and is driving around France working from sunset to sunrise. Smash that subscribe button and help them get their 100 k.

Time trials make for long days for the whole team. Our mechanics and bus driver left the team hotel at 06:00 with their vehicles to win the parking contest in the paddock. Our first rider rolled off the start ramp at 14:13:30. We thought we might have the chance for a quick cannonball into Lake Geneva, while we were waiting for the race to start, but ran out of time with everything going on. We did manage to go for a little stroll to the marina in Thonon-les-Bains and watched a little armada of dinghies with yellow, green, and polka dot sails drift onto the turquoise water, where snowy Alps loomed on the horizon.

Ingredients

For the sweet potato katsu sauce

500 g roasted sweet potato flesh

30 g fresh ginger

4 garlic cloves 

60 ml soy sauce

20 ml fish sauce

Juice of 2 limes

150–250 ml water (to thin)

Optional: 1 tsp curry powder or a pinch of chili flakes

For the chicken

8 chicken breasts (1.8–2 kg total), sliced into 1 centimeter escalopes

Seasoned flour:

250 g plain flour

2 tsp fine salt

2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp cayenne (optional)

Egg wash:

6 eggs

50 ml milk or water

Crumb:

600 g panko breadcrumbs

2 tsp salt

1 tsp white pepper

To cook:

Neutral oil for shallow frying (or oil spray for baking)

To serve (per portion):

250–300 g cooked jasmine rice

Steamed broccoli or pak choi

Lime wedges

Toasted sesame seeds

Spring onions

Fresh coriander

Method

For the sauce:

Roast sweet potatoes until soft; scoop out the flesh.

Blend the flesh with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce and lime juice until completely smooth.

Add water gradually to reach a pourable consistency.

Taste and adjust — more soy for saltiness, more lime for freshness. Stir in curry powder or chili flakes if adding warmth.

For the chicken:

Season chicken lightly with salt.

Coat each escalope in seasoned flour, then dip in egg wash, then coat thoroughly in panko, pressing firmly.

Fry at 170–175°C, 3–4 minutes per side, until golden and internal temperature reaches 74°C.

Or bake: arrange on wire racks, spray generously with oil, bake at 210°C fan for 15–18 minutes until crisp and cooked through.

To serve:

Plate rice, chicken, and a generous spoonful of katsu sauce with steamed greens. Finish with lime wedges, sesame seeds, spring onions, and coriander.

In French, a time-trial is often referred to as a chrono. The word is an abbreviation from the French word for stopwatch – chronomètre. 

Khronos is the Greek word for time. Metron is the Greek for measure. The two come together to form khronometron – the measure of time – where chronomètre finds its origins.

Formally, a time-trial is a contre-le-montre, which literally means a race against the watch, but most people in cycling call it a chrono.