ANALYSIS: Are time trials in danger of extinction? Find out how much time trials in grand tours have changed in the last 30 years

Cycling
Thursday, 16 January 2025 at 19:00
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To this day, time trials are still important when it comes to deciding the overall classification in grand tours. It doesn't take much thought to come up with examples. For example, Jonas Vingegaard in the 2023 Tour de France, or Primoz Roglic on Monte Lussari in the Giro of the same year.

However, it is also fair to say that time trials are no longer what they were in the past. In the past, riders endured much bigger challenges as time trials were much longer than they are now.

Thanks to the compilation of X user Jordi Escrihuela, we can compare the kilometers of time trials ridden in 1995 and those that will be ridden 30 years later, in 2025.

In the 3 grand tours of the 1995 season, the following distances were covered in time trials:

  • Giro d'Italia 1995: 3 time trials with 104 km in total.
  • Tour de France 1995: 4 time trials (one team time trial) with a total of 178.4 km.
  • Vuelta a España 1995: 3 time trials with 89.6 km in total.

Now, the data of the 3 races in 2025:

  • Giro d'Italia 2025: 2 time trials with 42.3 km in total.
  • Tour de France 2025: 2 time trials with 44 km in total.
  • Tour of Spain 2025: 2 time trials (one for teams) with 26 km in total.

As can be seen, the difference is eye opening. Many defend the new trend of shorter time trials for the general interest of the spectator, as new followers of the sport tend not to like time trials. In the end, you can't please everyone, and something as decisive as time trials cannot lose so much importance.

Winners of the 1995 time trials

As an added bonus, I thought it was a good idea to remember who won each of the above-mentioned time trials in 1995, comparing them with the winner of the general classification, showing how important they were at that time.

GIRO D'ITALIA 1995 - Overall winner: Tony Rominger.

  • Stage 2 - Individual time trial (19 km): Tony Rominger.
  • Stage 10 - Individual time trial (42 km): Tony Rominger.
  • Stage 17 - Individual time trial (47 km): Tony Rominger.

*Note: Tony Rominger won the overall with 4 stage victories, 3 of them in the time trials.

TOUR DE FRANCE 1995 - Overall winner: Miguel Induráin.

  • Prologue - Individual time trial (7.3 km): Jacky Durand.
  • Stage 3 - Team time trial (67 km): Gewiss-Ballan.
  • Stage 8 - Individual time trial (54 km): Miguel Induráin.
  • Stage 19 - Individual time trial (46.5 km): Miguel Induráin.

*Note: Miguel Induráin won that Tour with only 2 stage victories, both in time trials.

VUELTA A ESPAÑA 1995 - Overall winner: Laurent Jalabert

  • Prologue - Individual time trial (7 km): Abraham Olano.
  • Stage 7 - Individual time trial (41 km): Abraham Olano.
  • Stage 20 - Individual time trial (41.6 km): Abraham Olano.

*Note: Abraham Olano finished 2nd overall.

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