Alberto Contador cemented his status as the race’s strongest overall by winning the 24-mile individual time trial today, and Lance Armstrong moved up one slot in the general classification to third with a strong ride.

But the biggest news out of France may have come off the bike: Armstrong confirmed that he will be heading up a new American cycling team next year, Team RadioShack. Armstrong’s longtime directeur sportif, Johan Bruyneel, will run the team, but no word yet on who any of Armstrong’s teammates will be.

Boulder’s Garmin-Slipstream squad had an excellent showing at the time trial with three riders in the top 10 on the stage. Podium hope Bradley Wiggins moved up to fourth place overall and now sits 5:36 behind Contador. The next, and final, big test for the riders comes on Saturday with the 13-mile climb up the fabled Mont Ventoux in Provence.

Geoff Van Dyke
Geoff Van Dyke
Geoff Van Dyke was the magazine’s editorial director from 2021 to 2024. He is currently a Denver-based writer and editor.