Professional
Bicycle construction is limited by regulations covering dimensions and other features such as weight. UCI Regulations At the professional level, time trials (TTs) are frequently accompanied by motorcycles, some carrying video equipment or race officials, and riders may be followed by a team car carrying coaches and spare parts, but the cyclists are not permitted to draft behind the vehicles. Race regulations typically dictate a minimum distance behind the cyclist which the car must maintain and a minimum gap that must exist between two cyclists before the car may enter that gap.
Individual time trials are often used as stages in stage races such as the Grand Tours; these vary from short prologue time trials over no more than eight kilometres, to longer distance events over flat or rolling courses, to timed climbs up mountain roads. In the 1989 edition of the Tour de France eventual winner Greg LeMond made up a 50-second deficit to runner-up Laurent Fignon in the final stage individual time trial to win the race by 8 seconds, the smallest margin ever. The Vuelta a España often features a final individual time trial in Madrid in which the winner is often decided, providing much drama and excitement at the end of the stage race. In recent years, Óscar Sevilla and Roberto Heras have seen their lead evaporate in the time trial in Madrid.
The Grand Prix des Nations was a semi-Classic event; professionals may also compete in the annual World time trial championship. The individual time trial is also an Olympic event in which professionals are allowed to participate.
Many of the top stage racers are also top performers in the individual time trial, such as Eddy Merckx, Alfredo Binda, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, Fausto Coppi, Laurent Fignon, Greg LeMond, Miguel Indurain, Jan Ullrich, Lance Armstrong, Ivan Basso, Alberto Contador, Cadel Evans, Fabian Cancellara and Bradley Wiggins. Almost all recent winners of the Tour de France have been good time-trialists, with the notable exception of Marco Pantani, winner of the 1998 Tour de France, and Carlos Sastre, winner of the 2008 Tour de France, who specialized only in climbing.
Read more about this topic: Individual Time Trial
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