Tour de France 2018 Stage 20 live stream: Watch online

The only individual time trial of the 2018 Tour de France takes the riders through the Basque Country. Who will end up on the podium after the time trial?

Often, the general classification in the Tour de France has come down to a race against the clock. Time trials are one of the purest forms of racing on a bicycle, eliminating the support of teammates and the energy-saving potential of drafting. Instead, cyclists are pitted against the course with only their own form to help them to the finish line.

The only individual time trial in this year’s Tour de France appears short on paper. But though the final categorized are behind them, the peloton has one more major challenge to endure. Though less than 20 miles in total length, this year’s time trial will be no cakewalk.

None of the hills on the course are categorized climbs, but the route presents a constantly undulating series of rollers in the Basque Country. We could see some major gaps at the end of the stage, as the general classification contenders battle one last time to determine who will reach the podium.

At this point, with more than two full minutes advantage over Tom Dumoulin, Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas is effectively guaranteed the yellow jersey barring an unforeseen disaster in Stage 20. Dumoulin looks like a lock to reach the podium as well, especially given that he is the reigning UCI world time-trial champion.

Thus this stage will likely help to determine the final composition of the podium, especially who comes in third. With only two more stages left in the 2018 Tour de France, you definitely won’t want to miss the final weekend of action.

How to watch the stage

Here is how to catch Stage 20 at the Tour de France live on July 28. The action from Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle to Espelette will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network. Live streaming of the action is available on NBC Sports Gold or FuboTV.

• Date: Saturday, July 28, 2018
• Start time: 5:50 a.m. ET
• Start: Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, France
• Finish: Espelette, France
• TV Info: NBC Sports Network
• Live Stream: NBC Sports Gold, Fubo.TV

There is a 60- to 70-percent chance of precipitation falling on the time-trial course between Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle and Espelette at some point on Saturday. The weather will be a bit cooler than in recent days, and temperatures will likely remain in the 70s throughout the stage.

Dumoulin is the favorite to win the stage while wearing the rainbow time-trial suit of the world champion. It will be hard to make up two minutes on Thomas, but Dumoulin should consolidate his hold on the second step of the podium. Thomas is also a strong time-trial rider who could theoretically win the stage in yellow.

The real battle is for the final step on the podium at this point. Though his reign as the Tour de France champion and king of the grand tours is about to end, Chris Froome will look to eke out one more strong effort in order to leapfrog back over Stage 19 winner Primoz Roglic and finish on the podium once again.