page_title: 2012 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 10
section_title: Stage 9
hierarchical_section_title: 2012 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 10 / Stage 9
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Bradley Wiggins - TDF 2012
context_page_description: The 2012 Tour de France began on 30 June, and stage 10 occurred on 11 July. The 2012 edition began with a prologue – a short individual time trial stage – where each member of the starting peloton of 198 riders competed against the clock – in Liège, Belgium with two more stages held in the country before moving back into France. The race resumed in Orchies for the start of the third stage; also during the first half of the race, the peloton visited Switzerland for the finish to the eighth stage in Porrentruy, and contested another individual time trial stage – having returned to France – the following day.
  Fabian Cancellara held the lead of the race throughout its opening Belgian leg; having won the race-commencing prologue, Cancellara defended it on the following two stages before the race returned to France. Cancellara maintained his overall lead for the rest of the race's first week, before eventually losing time on the first true mountain stage of the race – stage seven – as he was dropped on the closing climb to La Planche des Belles Filles. As a result, Bradley Wiggins assumed the maillot jaune, becoming the first British rider to wear the jersey since 2000.
context_section_description: 9 July 2012 — Arc-et-Senans to Besançon, 41.5 km (25.8 mi), (ITT)
  The first of two lengthy individual time trial stages was fairly flat with rolling hills in the early kilometres before the parcours entered the valley of the River Doubs at Boussières. It was expected that the main contenders for the general classification were to emerge after this stage. As was customary of time trial stages, the riders set off in reverse order from where they were ranked in the general classification at the end of the previous stage. Thus, Brice Feillu of Saur–Sojasun, who, in 178th place, trailed overall leader Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) by one hour, eleven minutes and thirty-nine seconds, was the first rider to set off on the stage. Feillu ultimately recorded a time of 57' 33" for the course, which was not bettered until the thirteenth rider to complete the course, Vacansoleil–DCM rider Gustav Larsson, who recorded a time over three minutes quicker than Feillu.
  He completed the course in a time of 54' 19", and his time held for around an hour before his teammate Lieuwe Westra assumed top spot; despite being ten seconds down on Larsson at the second intermediate time point, Westra completed the final portion of the course some twenty seconds quicker, and recorded a time of 54' 09". Omega Pharma–Quick-Step's Tony Martin, the world champion, was the next rider to assume the top spot, setting the first time underneath 54 minutes; he set a time of 53' 40", despite riding with a fractured scaphoid bone in his left wrist and suffering a flat tyre in the opening 5 km (3.1 mi) of the stage. Fabian Cancellara of RadioShack–Nissan improved the quickest time benchmark; he set the fastest time at each of the two intermediate time points on the stage, and having passed the rider who started three minutes before him on the road, Rabobank's Bauke Mollema, Cancellara established a time for the course of 52' 21", beating Martin's time by 1' 19".
  His time was threatened by BMC Racing Team rider Tejay van Garderen, as he went beneath the time of Cancellara at each of the intermediate time checks, but faded towards the end and fell nine seconds outside of his target. Ultimately, only two riders beat Cancellara's time, both riding for Team Sky. Chris Froome improved upon van Garderen's times at the splits, but maintained his pace until the end, setting a time half a second inside 52 minutes, beating Cancellara's time by 22 seconds. Wiggins went even quicker and by the time he had finished, he had put 35 seconds into his teammate with a time of 51' 24", winning his first Tour stage. Wiggins also put substantial time into his major general classification rivals, as the margin on the day ranged between 1' 43" for Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) who finished sixth on the stage, and 3' 29" for Cofidis rider Rein Taaramäe, who was 28th and lost the white jersey as leader of the young rider classification to van Garderen.
caption: Overall leader Bradley Wiggins won his first career Tour de France stage, and as a result, he extended his lead in the general classification to 1' 53" over BMC Racing Team's Cadel Evans.
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