Chris Froome rode superbly to win the second Individual Time Trial in the 100th Tour de France.
Stage seventeen was a 32km time trial with two climbs in the Cote de Puy-Sanieres after 6.5 kilometres and then Cote de Reallon at 20kms on a course from Embrun to Chorges and after the likes of Mark Cavendish had come in around the 59 minute mark, Vacansoleil's Lieuwe Westra set the fastest time of 54.02.
Tony Martin had been the amongst the favourites for the stage but he came in 37 seconds slower than Westra, whose time stood until Euskatel's Jon Izagirre finished in 53.58.
There was rain on part of the course when race leader set off down the ramp.
Alejandro Valverde came home in 52.03. to set the new time to beat but Froome was powering up the road.
Rodriquez finished even quicker than Valderde in a time of 51.43 and then Alberto Contador finished a second quicker.
It mattered not, as Chris Froome stormed home in 51.33 to win the stage by 8.8 seconds and give himself a 4.34 lead over Saxo Tink Off's Alberto Contador.
Result
1 Chris Froome Sky 51:33
2 Alberto Contador Saxo-Tinkoff 51:42
3 Joaquim Rodriguez Katusha 51:43
4 Roman Kreuziger Saxo-Tinkoff 51:56
5 Alejandro Valverde Movistar 52:03
General Classification
1 Chris Froome Sky 66:07:09
2 Alberto Contador Saxo-Tinkoff 66:11:43
3 Roman Kreuziger Saxo-Tinkoff 66:12:00
4 Bauke Mollema Belkin 66:13:32
5 Nairo Quintana Movistar 66:14:07