Ion Izagirre leaves it all on the road in time trial

On a course that suited him to a tee, Ion Izagirre finally came alive in this year's Tour de France by claiming 14th in Wednesday's ITT.

The youngest of the brothers held the lead for quite some time before being eclipsed by Tejay van Garderen, and his strong ride helped to quell the disappointment of his brother's abandonment earlier on in the day.

He's shown his prowess in tests like these before, most memorably by winning a hilly race against the clock in the Vuelta a Asturias last season, and he looked as smooth and aero as you'd expect on the undulating 32km ride from Embrun to Chorges.

"I'm pleased to be up there in the Tour", he said post-race. "We're in the third week of the race, I'm feeling good and this result is a good indication of that. The best riders bested me after a while, but I'll remain with the good job I did.

"I gave it everything I had, and I'm looking forward to the Alpine stages coming up".

Romain Sicard had his best showing this far with 34th, while Mikel Nieve advanced to 17th on GC courtesy of his 38th placing.

Results:

• (1, Chris Froome (Sky), 51:33)
• 14, Ion Izagirre, 2:25
• 34, Romain Sicard, 3:28
• 38, Mikel Nieve, 3:45
• 64, Rubén Pérez, 5:09
• 79, Igor Antón, 5:39
• 99, Mikel Astarloza, 6:06
• 118, Juan José Oroz, 6:26
• 171, Juan José Lobato, 8:25

Photo: BCPT