Stage 9 (Arc-et-Senans - Besançon)

Todays stage was a 41.5km time trial from Arc-et-Senans to Besançon. Riders began the race in reverse order of their position in the general classification and the ‘Lanterne Rouge' after eight stages, Brice Feillu (SAU), began his race at 9.45am. There were two minutes between the first 118 riders and then there were three minutes separating the starters. The rider in the yellow jersey, Bradley Wiggins (SKY) began the TT at 4.39pm. The weather was fine for the start with a temperature of about 24 degrees Celsius.

Despite racing with a fractured bone in his wrist, Tony Martin posted the fastest times at each check and finished the course at an average speed of 46.4km/h to eclipse the time of the Vacansoleil riders; he achieved this impressive time despite having a puncture within the first 5km. Casar (FDJ) rode above expectation: when he went past the 16.5km time check, he was 7” behind Martin and 1” ahead of Voigt (RNT) who, at the time, had set the second best times at all the checks.

The winner of the prologue, Fabian Cancellara raced up to the first checkpoint at an average speed of 45.8km/h and had ridden 39” faster than Martin at the same point. With 16km to go, Cancellara passed his three-minute man, Mollema (RAB) and with 10km to he was ahead of Martin by 1'09” and, at the finish, he led by 1'19. As impressive as it was, the former leader of the youth classification – Tejay van Garderen (BMC) – crossed the first check 2" in front of the favorite to with the stage, then crossing the second checkpoint 3" in front. But at the finish, the young rider was nine seconds behind the Swiss rider.

Froome smashed van Garderen's time by 24” at the 16.5km mark and it was the first clue that Team Sky was going to dominate this time trial. But there was a better time yet to come... after just 11km of racing, Wiggins had already pushed his overall lead on Evans by another 20”.

Until this year, the best place Wiggins had enjoyed in a stage of the Tour de France was his second in the team time trial of the 2009 race when he was still with Team Garmin, in that particular tour he finished 4th overall in the GC. He was third in the stage to La Planche des Belles Filles – which was his equal best place in an individual stage.

Wiggins ultimately finished 35” ahead of his team-mate and improved his advantage over Cadel Evans who was sixth in the stage; there is now 1'53” between first and second overall. Froome's ride elevated him up the rankings from sixth overall to third, now only 14" behind Evans. Sagan stays in Green as the leader of the points classification and Tejay Van Garderen regained hold of the White jersey from Rein Taaramae in what is likely to be an exciting battle over the next 2 weeks.

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Top 5 Today

1. B. WIGGINS (SKY) 51' 24"
2. C. FROOME (SKY) 00' 35"

3. F. CANCELLARA (RNT) 00' 57"
4. T. VAN GARDAREN (BMC) 01' 06"
5. S. CHAVANEL (OPQ) 01' 24"