PARC DES OISEAUX, France — German rider Tony Martin won the fourth stage of the Criterium du Dauphine while Christopher Froome dealt a blow to Alberto Contador on Wednesday ahead of the Tour de France this month.
Martin completed the 32.5-kilometre time trial from Villars-les-Dombes to Parc des Oiseaux in just under 37 minutes.
"It was my goal to win this time trial but I wasn’t 100 per cent sure that I could do it after being down with stomach problems in the past two days," Martin said. "Fortunately, I recovered on time.
"It was my first long time trial since the Tour of Algarve in February. I enjoyed the course, even though I enjoy even more when it’s a little bit hillier. I’m happy to give Chris Froome some time because we’ll be the main contenders for the time trials at the Tour de France too."
Rohan Dennis of Australia took the overall lead from David Veilleux of Canada by finishing second, 47 seconds behind Martin.
Froome wound up third, 2:45 ahead of Contador. A two-time Tour de France winner, Contador was also overtaken by Australian rider Richie Porte, who started two minutes behind him.
"It was not a good day for me", Contador told France 3 television. "I didn’t have much energy in the legs, but there is still time before my form reaches the top. I hope to be better and better each stage. For the Tour de France, there’s still time. I knew that Chris Froome was superior in time trialling."
Froome, the runner-up behind Bradley Wiggins at last year’s Tour, climbed to second place in the overall standings, five seconds behind Dennis.
"Today it was a good exercise and a good test for the form," Froome said. "I had good legs. I don’t know what is Alberto’s strategy. Maybe he keeps some energy for the mountains."
Thursday’s fifth stage is a 139-kilometre trek from Gresy-sur-Aix to Valmorel with four climbs. The weeklong race ends on Sunday.