Home Races Road Team Astana asserts its dominance in TTT By Anthony Tan published 7 July 2009 Four years on, it's still Armstrong's team who lays down the law (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) Race Home Stages Stage 1 15.5km | Monaco - Monaco (ITT) Stage 2 187km | Monaco - Brignoles Stage 3 196.5km | Marseille - La Grande-Motte Stage 4 39km | Montpellier - Montpellier (TTT) Stage 5 196.5km | Le Cap d'Agde - Perpignan Stage 6 181.5km | Gérone - Barcelone Stage 7 224km | Barcelone - Andorre Arcalis Stage 8 176.5km | Andorre-la-Vieille - Saint-Girons Stage 9 160.5km | Saint-Gaudens - Tarbes Rest day Limoges - Stage 10 194.5km | Limoges - Issoudun Stage 11 192km | Vatan - Saint-Fargeau Stage 12 211.5km | Tonnerre - Vittel Stage 13 200km | Vittel - Colmar Stage 14 199km | Colmar - Besançon Stage 15 207.5km | Pontarlier - Verbier Rest day Verbier - Stage 16 159km | Martigny - Bourg-Saint-Maurice Stage 17 169.5km | Bourg-Saint-Maurice - Le Grand-Bornand Stage 18 40.5km | Annecy - Annecy (ITT) Stage 19 178km | Bourgoin-Jallieu - Aubenas Stage 20 167km | Montélimar - Mont Ventoux Stage 21 164km | Montereau-Fault-Yonne - Paris Champs-Élysées View all Stages map Race history Preview Start list Image 1 of 105Team Columbia en route to victory in the Giro d'Italia's opening stage. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Cadel Evan's Silence-Lotto team is all lined up. (Image credit: AFP)Silence-Lotto negotiates a bend in the team time trial stage. (Image credit: AFP)The Silence-Lotto Team of Cadel Evans had a tough day. (Image credit: AFP)The Quick Step team races around a bend. (Image credit: AFP)The Quick Step team including Tom Boonen and Stijn Devolder (Image credit: AFP)Cadel Evans leads the Silence-Lotto team during the team time trial. (Image credit: AFP)Agritubel gets its turn on the team time trial. (Image credit: AFP)Cadel Evans pushes his Silence-Lotto teammates. (Image credit: AFP)Team Liquigas races the team time trial at the Tour de France. (Image credit: AFP)Team Milram in the 39km team time trial. (Image credit: AFP)French cycling team Francaise des Jeux (Image credit: AFP)French cycling team Francaise des Jeux including the polka dot jersey wearer Jussie Veikkanen (Image credit: AFP)French cycling team Agritubel finishes up. (Image credit: AFP)Swiss cycling team Cervelo races the time time trial. (Image credit: AFP)Belgian cycling team Quick Step finishes, with Sylvain Chavanel (right) and Sebastien Rosseler (center) (Image credit: AFP)French cycling team Agritubel's riders, including team leader Christophe Moreau, at the finish of the team time trial (Image credit: AFP)German Team Milram (Image credit: AFP)Italian cycling team Liquigas in the team time trial (Image credit: AFP)Two Liquigas riders during the team time trial. (Image credit: AFP)Garmin-Slipstream makes the final push to the finish. (Image credit: AFP)Fabian Cancellara (Team Saxo Bank) tried hard to keep his yellow jersey. (Image credit: AFP)Fabian Cancellara's Team Saxo Bank finished 40 seconds behind Team Astana in the team time trial. (Image credit: AFP)Yellow jersey wearer Fabian Cancellara leads his team Saxo Bank into the finish. (Image credit: AFP)Team Astana come to the line with the best time. (Image credit: AFP)French cycling team Cofidis heads to the finish. (Image credit: AFP)Euskatel-Euskadi finishes the team time trial. (Image credit: AFP)Team Astana's Levi Leipheimer and Alberto Contador finish the team time trial. (Image credit: AFP)The final meters of the team time trial are incredibly painful... even if your team wins. (Image credit: AFP)Team Astana, including Lance Armstrong (right), pushes to the finish. (Image credit: AFP)Team Astana rides to a stage win in the team time trial at the Tour de France. (Image credit: AFP)Alberto Contador takes a turn at the front of the Team Astana train. (Image credit: AFP)Team Astana on the podium after winning the team time trial. (Image credit: AFP)Lance Armstrong of Team Astana came within a fraction of a second of taking the yellow jersey. (Image credit: AFP)Alberto Contador smiles from the podium after his Astana team won the team time trial stage. (Image credit: AFP)Garmin-Slipstream on its way to second place. (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Team Saxo Bank fought hard and kept yellow by fractions of a second. (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Team Astana on the way to the win in the TTT (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Astana put in a perfect performance in the TTT. (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Fabian Cancellara happily dons yellow after stage 4. (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Fabian Cancellara just barely hung onto the yellow jersey after the TTT (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Team Astana takes the podium after its win in the TTT (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Caisse d'Epargne finished 7th. (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Team Katusha led the standings after a surprisingly strong ride. (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Rabobank had a rocky ride in the TTT (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Bouygues Telecom had half its riders crash. (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Skil-Shimano was dead last in the TTT. (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Belgian TT champion Stijn Devolder in the midst of the Quick Step team (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Cervelo TestTeam put in a solid performance for 8th (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Garmin-Slipstream did most of the TTT with 5 riders. (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Actor Ben Stiller was on hand to watch, this time he didn't keep Lance Armstrong from starting on time. (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Denis Menchov's Rabobank team had some troubles, and finished 11th. (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Carlos Sastre's Cervelo team limited its losses in the TTT. (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)The Euskaltel-Euskadi team tackles the TTT. (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Team Astana crosses the line. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Saxo Bank is led by Fabian Cancellara across the line to keep yellow by fractions of a second. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Astana makes the lunge for the line in the team time trial. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Team Astana collects the accolades for winning stage 4's TTT. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Lance Armstrong follows Contador on stage after the team won the TTT. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Team Astana powers to the finish to win the TTT. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Piet Rooijakkers came off second best on the challenging Team Time Trial course. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Russia's Katusha (Image credit: Bettini Photo)AG2R La Mondiale rides the Montpellier team time trial. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Agritubel comes the finish line in stage four of the Tour de France. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Alberto Contador leads Astana. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Lampre-NGC (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Quick Step (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Lance Armstrong at the front in team time trial stage four. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Bbox Bouygues Telecom (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Astana on its way to win Tour de France stage four. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Saxo Bank (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Silence-Lotto (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Alessandro Ballan (Lampre-NGC) shows signs of his crash. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Liquigas (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Française des Jeux (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) leads his team to protect the race lead. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Katusha (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Lampre-NGC finish its run despite two different crashes. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Caisse d'Epargne finishes Tour de France stage four. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Denis Menchov (Rabobank) gets going again after his crash in Tour de France stage four. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Liquigas (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Team Katusha's Andrei Tchmil. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Lampre-NGC (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Astana (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Yaroslav Popovych leads team Astana (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Garmin-Slipstream down to five riders. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)Christophe Moreau (Agritubel) rides on his own. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
