Welcome to live coverage of stage nine of the Tour de France, a 41.5km individual time trial from Arc en Senans to Besancons. With Britain's Bradley Wiggins and Australian Cadel Evans separated by just 10 seconds, this will give us a better idea of who the major favourite for this year's Tour de France crown really is.
Tour de France
Stage 9 | Flat | Men | 09.07.2012
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Updated 09/07/2012 at 15:36 GMT
- All
- Highlights
16:36
New top three in GC: 1. Wiggins, 2. Evans + 1:53, 3. Froome +3:07.
16:35
Result of 41.5km ITT: 1. Brad Wiggins (Team Sky) 51:34, 2. Chris Froome (Team Sky) +35, 3. Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack) +57, 4. Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) +1:06, 5. Sylvain Chavanel (OMQS) +1.24, 6. Cadel Evans (BMC) + 1:43.
16:31
It's going to be a history one-two for Britain and Team Sky. Brad Wiggins crosses the finish line in Besancon in a time of 51:34 - that's 35 seconds faster than his team-mate. Extraordinary!
16:30
Defending champion Cadel Evans crosses the line 1:07 down on Froome. It's the fifth best time - but enough to keep his second place in the GC.
16:29
Evans passes under the one-to-go banner. The Australian will know that he has to recoup a lot of time in the high mountains because he'll have to go through this all over again for the penultimate stage of the Tour in 11 days' time.
16:26
Vincenzo Nibali has been very much out of the spotlight today, thanks to the Sky super show. The Italian has produced a very strong time trial by his standards and crosses the line with the sixth best time, 1:32 down on Froome. He will drop to fourth in the GC.
16:24
Denis Menchov drives for the line for Katusha. The Russian will stay in the top five: he's 1:32 down on Froome, so will drop below the Briton in the standings, but should stay in the top five.
16:23
Evans, in his defence, has got stronger since the first check. He hasn't lost his morale - and remember, the race is still another two weeks long.
16:22
We're witnessing history in the making at the moment. Two Britons about to be leading the Tour de France. Astonishing stuff.
31.5k
Brad Wiggins fastest at the second check by 16 seconds over his compatriot and team-mate Froome.
16:19
Nibali, by the way, was 1:12 down at the second check - so he's riding just a little bit slower than Evans, so can be relatively pleased.
31.5k
Evans comes through the second check 1:03 down on Chris Froome. The gap between them this morning was 1:22 so the Australian has a battle on his hands to keep hold of his second place in the GC.
16:17
Here comes Chris Froome - has he maintained his fast pace? Yes he has! 51:59 at the finish, that's 21 seconds quicker than Cancellara.
16:13
Jurgen Van den Broeck is 2:12 down on Cancellara at the finish.
16:11
Wiggins is on to the next uphill stretch, which currently has Evans out of the saddle. What a surpreme performance this is.
41.5k
Not bad from Nicolas Roche: he's 2:11 down in 16th position at the finish.
16:09
Bradley Wiggins has never won a stage on the Tour de France - could this be his first?
41.5k
Rein Taaramae will lose the white jersey to Tejay van Garderen: the Estonian was well over two minutes down on the American at the finish.
16:07
There has never been a British one-two in a stage on the Tour de France.
31.5k
Froome is 20 seconds faster than Van Garderen at the second check. The win will surely go to one of Team Sky's riders today...