Louis Meintjes has a shot at being the first African rider to finish in the top 10 at the Tour de France. We caught up with him before the Stage 18 time trial to find out how he plans to approach the stage and what’s like to rub shoulders with some of the world’s best riders.
Image via Roosenboom Photography
This is what Meintjes had to say ahead of the time trial:
With four days left in the race, I am very happy about the fact that my legs and body are still feeling good. Yesterday wasn’t a bad day – climbing into the top 10 is great for us as a team. Since we have quite a young team, placing 10th on the GC is a good result for us.
I was feeling confident before yesterday’s stage because I knew it would be a hot day in the Alps and the last climb was very steep. The heat really suits me thanks to training in South Africa’s summer for so many years. I usually do better than some of the other guys when it’s hot outside.
I’m hoping for dry weather over the next few days. If it rains this week, it could make the race a little more difficult and unpredictable. I’ve heard guys comparing the Alps to the Pyrenees and talking about what suits them better, but I think they are all the same. They are all pretty hard mountains and you have to take the climbs on an individual basis.
I rode the TT course as a practise ride this morning and decided I’d ride the stage using a road bike with TT bars. It’s a really hard course and it feels like it doesn’t stop going up. If you look at the profile, it looks like there are parts where you can relax but when I rode it, there was no place for recovery.
View the route here: Tour de France Stage 18 Preview.
South African supporters at the Tour
There’s so much South African support over here. There were already so many flags out this morning when I went to ride the TT course. I am glad I had time to see everyone this morning because this afternoon will just be painful with no time to look around.
Meintjes start time is set for 4:32pm.
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