"We're going to do everything we can to make sure that doesn't happen at Paris Olympics" - Stefan Kung sees ITT hopes ruined at Tour de France by dropped chain

As has often been the case for Stefan Kung in the biggest races, bad luck struck again on the stage 7 individual time trial at the 2024 Tour de France. Having been motoring along nicely, the Swiss powerhouse was looking set for the provisionally fastest time before a dropped chain somewhat disrupted his efforts.

"It's clear that this incident disturbed me because I was really in the rhythm," Groupama - FDJ's time trial specialist reflected ruefully in a post stage interview with the assembled press, including Cyclism'Actu. "It happened at a complicated moment, just after the climb, and it took me a while to put my chain back on. It took me out of the rhythm, I tried to get back into it at the end, but it was complicated."

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In the end, despite the bad luck of the ill-timed dropped chain, Kung still managed to stop the clock with the 10th fastest time on the day, exactly one minute slower than stage winner Remco Evenepoel. "When you cut your effort like that, it's difficult to start again at the same pace straight away," Kung explains. "The clock doesn't lie, and of course that's not what we were hoping for."

Nevertheless, whilst a stage win at the Tour de France would have unquestionably been a massive positive for the 30-year-old, his main goal remains the individual time trial at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where he will be riding in the red and white of Switzerland. Being able to take home a gold medal for his nation would be a massive moment for Kung, although his pre-Games individual time trials haven't seen the greatest of performances of late.

"The two tests before the Olympics didn't go as we wanted," he admits honestly. Kung remains determined to do better when the gold medal is on the line however. "We're going to do everything we can to make sure that doesn't happen in Paris," the Swiss concludes.

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