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Porto-Vecchio
7.7 km
Sunday 28 March
Pierrick Fedrigo (BBOx) retains his yellow jersey with a 14 seconds lead over Michael Rogers (Columbia) with Tiago Machado (RadioShack) third, 15 seconds adrift.
David Millar (Garmin) won the 3rd stage ahead of Alberto Contador (Astana) and Michael Rogers (Columbia).
Pierrick Fedrigo (BBox) clocks the 13th time in 10:06 and wins the Criterium International.
Second-placed Portuguese Tiago Machado completes the course in 10:04.
Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel) is just a little bit slower than Cadel Evans in 10:02.
Cadel Evans is only 8th fastest in 10:01. It will probably be too short for overall victory.
9:53 for Australia’s Michael Rogers (Columbia), two seconds behind Alberto Contador.
Briton David Millar (Garmin Transitions) improved Alberto Contador’s time by two seconds in 9:49.
Third fastest time for Benat Intxausti (Euskaltel) in 10:00.
Road world champion Cadel Evans (BMC) has just started.
Lance Armstrong was a little disappointed about his performance today but was glad to have improved since the Tour of Murcia earlier this month:
“It was not a consistent time trial with lots of turns, and ups and downs and roundabouts but it was much better than in Murcia, much steadier. Yesterday was very hard you don’t usually have such a long hard climb at this time of the year. It would probably have been better to have a longer race than just two days but I always wanted to come to Corsica. It’s just great. Next to Texas there is nothing better than the Mediterranean,” he said.
Contador fastest in 9:51 at 46.88 kph.
Alberto Contador, sporting his Spanish champion jersey, clocked the fastest intermediate time.
Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) rides a good time trial in 10:08 just a little but faster than Lance Armstrong.
Peter Velits (Columbia) ousts Lance Armstrong from the podium in 10:06.
Italian time trial champion Marco Pinotti (Columbia) sets the third fastest time in 10:09.
Lance Armstrong just crossed the line in 10:08. It is the second fastest time behind Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil), who is on 9:58.
Lance Armstrong is only 8th fastest at the first intermediate time. A disappointing showing for the seven times Tour champion.
Fourth time for Julien Simon (Saur Sojasun) in 10:16. The French team have three riders in the top four at present.
Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil) is the first rider to break the 10 minutes barrier in 9:59.
Lance Armstrong (RadioShack) starts in two minutes...
Cyril Lemoine (Saur Sojasun) improves his team-mate’s Jimmy Engoulvent’s fastest time by three seconds in 10:12.
Engoulvent has a fine past record as a short time-trial specialist. Last season, he won a 6-kms time trial on the Circuit de la Sarthe in Angers.
Frantisek Rabon (Columbia) clocked the slowest time so far. A very disappointing performance for the time trial specialist who lost the Criterium International by only two seconds last year.
RadioShack team manager Johan Bruyneel is all the more impressed by Tiago Machado’s performance in this Criterium International as the young Portuguese is a complete rookie who does not feature on his Tour de France plans: “He’s a young rider who is really in his first pro season as such after starting with a small Portuguese team. He lacks experience, he doesn’t know how to ride in a bunch and takes too much wind. He has still a lot to learn so he definitely won’t be in the Tour.”
The time-trial course is a rather tricky one. It starts uphill with a hard little bump followed by a winding descent. The finale is completely flat but wind could be a factor.
In spite of his disappointing performance in yesterday’s mountain stage on the Col de l’Ospedale, Alberto Contador is still intent on defending his chances in the final time-trial: "A lot will depend on how well I’ve recovered from the allergy but it’s a good course for me," he warned. A stage win would be a fine consolation prize.
France’s Remi Pauriol (Cofidis) is now second fastest in 10:21.
France’s Jimmy Engoulvent (Saur Sojasun) sets the fastest time in 10:15.
Race leader Pierrick Fedrigo (FDJeux) insisted it would take a disaster for him to be beaten in the final 7.7-kms timed effort: "I have the legs and I have the mental. With the form I’m in, I can’t see how I can be beaten unless disaster strikes. Over 7.7-kms you can’t afford to ask yourself any questions, you give it your all," he said.
Gianni Meersman sets the first reference time in 10:38.
Welcome on the third stage of the Criterium International, a 7.7-kms individual time trial around Porto-Vecchio. Belgian Giannni Meersman (FDJeux), the first starter, has just gone.
