Four seconds prevented the Movistar Team from claiming one of their most resounding victories in a discipline that rewards the squad as a whole: the team time trial. The 28km route from Vannes to Plumelec on stage nine of the Tour de France, with up to three uphill sections -including the demanding Côte de Cadoudal in the last 2k - offered a thrilling battle between the Unzué-led squad, the British Team Sky and American outfit BMC, world champions in 2014 and winners by less than one second, while the telephone squad took 3rd place.

Loyal to their usual strategy - keeping the group together - the Movistar Team still had its nine members pushing through the second intermediate point, just 8km from the finish, making up a 13-second deficit to BMC and reducing it to only three, with Sky a second quicker. A brief moment of discoordination on the second climb forced the Blues, with Dowsett having dropped back, to get back to their formation, keep pulling and recovering, so much that they got to the foot of Cadoudal, down to seven after Erviti completed his job, practically with the same time as BMC.

Eventually, the 32'19" clocked by Valverde, Quintana, Castroviejo, Anacona and a brilliant Herrada - Malori and Gorka Izagirre dropped back in the beginning of the climb - made the two GC references from the Movistar Team move into the top-ten, with Valverde in 7th (+1'50") and Quintana in ninth (+1'59"). The Colombian will be wearing the white jersey as 2nd behind Sagan (TCS; points leader) in the young riders' classification on Tuesday, after a first rest day in Pau the riders will get to by plane, with the rest of the convoy completing the transfer on the road.

"Being at the level of time trial specialists is very good. We have specialists in the team that rode very fast and we helped in the part that suited us. We lost narrowly but we have gained time on other rivals," Quintana said.

"It is clear that we are four favorites, but I knew Froome would be very strong and he has demonstrated that. I think he is the strongest. I hope that we can recover the time loss little by little. Today we have recovered somewhat compared to some rivals. In the mountains we have to try to gain more."

"The first part of the Tour has been very good and we have arrived in the mountains in good condition. We only regret the time loss on stage 2," Valverde said. "Today there was some lack of coordination on a climb because one rider was in difficulty. It is shame, but we did a good time trial and have no reason not to be happy."

“The result itself is magnificent, noth the third spot and losing only four seconds; we would have taken it if we had been offered it before the start," manager Eusebio Unzue said. "However, there's a bittersweet taste as we think we lost it at a point of the route, the one with biggest crowds, where the group lost a big of order almost inadvertently. We might have conceded, I think, ten to fifteen seconds in that point, surely decisive for the win. The lads are the ones more conscious about the mistake.

"Still, I think we must remain optimistic about this result. It's only that you are so close to taking a TTT win in the Tour, which would have confirmed the great progression we've made over the last four years, with some good results along the road. We were convinced we could win. Summing things up, we reduced our deficit to some of the GC rivals - Alberto, Rigoberto; others are further behind, like Nibali and 'Purito'; and the ones who were ahed of us got insignificant gains, with those 3" to Froome and 4" to van Garderen.

"Those pointed out as big favourites have all shown with facts they're up for the fight, and now it's time to tackle the mountains very consciously, without ruling out any rivals. Surely the Pyrenees will offer some surprises, and we will have to wait until the Plateau de Beille climb to really know who are the biggest candidates. This first chain of mountains will create serious changes in the GC, prior to a final week full of hardness, and also difficult for the previous efforts. We're happy with how everything went up to date, apart from that time lost on stage two, and remain hopeful for what's to come."