On the day that his team leader Lance Armstrong dropped out with stomach problems, young Portugese prodigy Tiago Machado (RadioShack) won the 6.8km stage 3 time trial of the Circuit de la Sarthe-Pays de la Loire in the Loire town of Angers. His time of 8:26.46 was two seconds faster than race leader Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d’Epargne) and six seconds faster than Anthony Roux (Française des Jeux).
Starting as rider number 23, Christophe Riblon (AG2R-La Mondiale) posted a time of 8 minutes, 32 seconds, and looked as though it may even hold on the win as a number of riders came close but failed to beat it. The lead was to stand for almost 40 minutes, until Machado knocked six seconds off the time. The 24-year-old Portuguese time trial champion, who has finished third in both the Volta ao Algarve and the Critérium International so far this season, proved to be unbeatable.
Late starters Roux and Machado’s teammate Yaroslav Popovych overhauled Riblon’s time but were no match for Machado’s. Starting last, Sanchez came close, but finished just short of the RadioShack rider’s time.
With his second place on the stage, Sanchez increases his overall lead over his previously close rivals, while Machado moves up into second overall.
Result stage 3
1. Tiago Machado (Por) Team RadioShack
2. Luis Leon Sanchez (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne @ 2s
3. Anthony Roux (Fra) Française des Jeux @ 6s
4. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Team RadioShack @ 10s
5. Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R-La Mondiale @ 10s
6. Julien Simon (Fra) Saur-Sojasun @ 11s
7. Remi Cusin (Fra) Cofidis, le credit en ligne @ 13s
8. Christophe Moreau (Fra) Caisse d’Epargne @ 13s
9. Steve Morabito (Swi) BMC Racing @ 14s
10. Piet Rooljakkers (Ned) Skil-Shimano @ 15s
Overall standings after stage 3
1. Luis Leon Sanchez (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne
2. Tiago Machado (Por) Team RadioShack @ 8s
3. Anthony Roux (Fra) Française des Jeux @ 13s
4. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Team RadioShack @ 16s
5. Christophe Moreau (Fra) Caisse d’Epargne @ 18s