Australian side Orica GreenEdge followed up their first ever stage win by winning the Team Time Trial at the 100th Tour De France this afternoon.
The course was a 25km ride around the City of Nice, which the riders and everyone involved in the massive entourage had arrived in from Nice, either last night or this morning.
Despite, Nice, the capital of the Cote d'Azur, has hosting a Tour De France stage some thirty five times, the crowds were out in force including plenty of Brits and some Coventry City supporters.
They saw Argos Shimano first down the ramp and start on the course which had nine corners in total and seven in the first half.
Mark Cavendish was reported as not feeling well but he was in the Omega Pharma Quick Step team which was second down the ramp, followed by Lotto Bellisol, Cannondale and Cofidis, who only started with eight riders.
At the first split, Argos were at 14.14 but that was bettered by 58 seconds by Cavendish's team.
Argos Shimano set the time to beat at the finish line of 27.43.74 before Garmin Sharp, who were riding to get David Millar into the Yellow Jersey, went down the ramp.
World Time Trial Team Champions, Omega Pharma Quick Step came in with Cavendish on the front to set the new time of 25.57. Something which Tony Martin described as a great result.
Lotto came in eight seconds down as Team Sky with Chris Froome on a 56 chain ring setting and Geraint Thomas again ignoring the advice of his mum, took off.
Neither Cannondale or Belkin could get near the time of the Sky Blues but Garmin Sharp came in tenths of second down on Lotto's time.
Then Team Sky could have had Edvald Boasson Hagen in yellow had they won but despite touching speeds of 70kmh, they finished a mere two seconds down on Omega Pharma to finish in 25.59.
Saxo Bank were another team riding to get their man into yellow and the Danish team were second fastest at the split. They kept going to try and get Nicholas Roche in to the overall lead but could only come home eight seconds down.
At 16.40 local time, Radio Shack Leopard Trek working to keep Jan Bakelandts in yellow went off down the ramp.
Orica GreenEdge had said they were boosted by Monday's win in the third stage by Simon Gerrans and their nine riders put in a superb effort to take the lead by three quarters of a second with a time of 25.56.
This meant that Simon Gerrans was now the virtual leader on the road as Radio Shack were nine seconds down at the first split.
Cadel Evan's BMC failed to trouble the teams in the top five, meaning that the pressure really was on Radio Shack to win. The likes of Jens Voigt and Andy Schleck could not pull it off as they finished in 26.25 and the yellow jersey would be worn by Simon Gerrans in the fifth stages from Cagnes Sur Mer to Marseille.
Gerrans, who is the sixth Australian to hold a yellow jersey, said:" It was a fantastic team performance and to win topped it off. I knew there weren't many weak links in our team and when you can achieve amazing things."
Stage Result
1. ORICA GREEN EDGE 25' 56''
2. OMEGA PHARMA 25' 57'' à 0' 01''
3. SKY PROCYCYLING 25' 59'' à 0' 03''
4. TEAM SAXO BANK 26' 05'' à 0' 09''
5. LOTTO-BELISOL 26' 13'' à 0' 17''
6. GARMIN - SHARP 26' 13'' à 0' 17''
7. MOVISTAR TEAM 26' 15'' à 0' 19''
8. LAMPRE - MERIDA 26' 21'' à 0' 25''
9. BMC RACING 26' 22'' à 0' 26''
10. KATUSHA TEAM 26' 24'' à 0' 28''
General Classification
1 Simon Gerrans, 2.Darryl Impey (+0) 3. Michael Albasini (+0) 4.Michal Kwiatowski (+1) 5.Sylvain Chavanel (+1), 6.Edvald Boasson Hagen (+3) 7.Chris Froome (+3) 8.Richie Porte (+3) 9.Nicholas Roche (+9) 10.Roman Kreuziger (+9)
Peter Sagan stays in Green Jersey, with Pierre Rolland in the King Of The Mountains competition
Pictures courtesy and copyright of Carl.