The US Postal team is now in the final 3km. They were 38" behind the ONCE team at the fourth check.

16.21 ONCE's Final Time

In what looks destined to be the winning time, the ONCE team has recorded 1h25'36" for the 70km team time trial. Jalabert will inherit the race lead. Their average of 49.075kph!

16.19 ONCE In Final Kilometer

The ONCE team is now in the final kilometer of the 70km team test. All nine riders are present in what looks sure to be the winning team. They were 38" better than US Postal at the fourth time check.

16.16 ONCE All Together With 4km To Race

The ONCE team has recorded the best time at all checks. Jalabert will inherit the race lead after today at this pace. They have 4km to go and all nine riders are still together.

16.15 Six Posties Now Together

The US Postal team has regrouped. There are now six Posties on the streets of Saint-Nazaire.

16.14 ONCE's Fourth Time Check

At the 63.6km check the ONCE team is 1'22" better than Telekom's previous best standard.

16.13 Posties Slow Dramatically On Bridge

Over the Pont St-Nazaire the US Postal team have shed 3 riders. Armstrong and three others had to slow dramatically to keep their leading group's tally to the five required to record a time.

16.12 Telekom's Final Time

The Telekom team finished with 7 riders. They have the new best time with 1h27'01".

16.09 US Postal's 3rd Time Check

The US Postal team are 26" behind ONCE's leading margin at the 3rd time check.

16.08 Cofidis' Finish Time

The Cofidis team of the yellow jersey, Millar, has recorded a time of 1h28'28". Millar led his cohorts over the line, but he will lose his race lead today.

16.07 Yellow Conclusion For Jalabert Likely

At the 56.4km check, the ONCE team had a lead of 1'17" on Telekom. The yellow jersey's team was 2'22" behind Jalabert's team. The Frenchman is the virtual race leader at this stage.

16.05 Festina Shed Four

At the start of the climb over the Pont de St-Nazaire the Festina team have all nine riders. At the top they had just five riders at the front. They were 3rd best at the third check today - 1'32" behind ONCE.

16.03 Big Day For ONCE

With rainbow stripes on the seatposts of their bikes to indicate their days as world time trial champions (in 1997 and 1998), Laurent Jalabert and Abraham Olano look destined to lead their ONCE team to the win today. They have led at every check so far.

15.57 Telekom On Pont St-Nazaire

There were still nine riders in the Telekom team as they approached the Pont St-Nazaire. As they began the ascent of the 85m high bridge, however, their lead-out man, Fagnini lost contact with the group of Ullrich.

15.56 Mercatone Uno Third At The Moment

Marco Pantani's team have recorded the 3rd best time of the day so far. With six riders in his group at the finish, they have recorded a time of 1h29'09" - 2'02" off the pace of Credit Agricole.

15.53 Millar Leads Cofidis Over Pont de Sait-Nazaire

With his overall lead only a slender one, David Millar said at the start today that he'd give it everything to try and hang onto his yellow jersey. The Cofidis team are currently on the Pont Saint-Nazaire with 5km still to race.

15.52 ONCE's Ride Gives Jalabert The Virtual Lead

With their current lead in the race, France's Laurent Jalabert will become the race leader at the end of today's stage. His team has the best time at both the checks they've passed so far. They were 21" ahead of US Postal at 40.6km.

15.51 Credit Agricole's Finish Time

At the finish the Credit Agricole team have the best time so far. "It was a block headwind all the way," said their Australian sprinter, O'Grady. "Coming over the bridge was just hell! But we put in some good practice and I hope it all pays off..."

15.49 US Postal's 2nd Time Check

At 40.6km the US Postal team have recorded 49'33" - this gives them the second best time of the day behind ONCE at this stage of the race.

15.38 Rabobank's Finish Time

The Rabobank team finished with just five riders in their group. They have, however, recorded the fastest time of the day so far with 1h27'47".

15.34 Telekom's Second Time Check

At the 40.6km mark, the Telekom team has set the fastest time. Their time was 49'58" - just 11" better than the Credit Agricole team.

15.32 Cofidis' Second Time Check

The Cofidis team of the current race leader, Millar, has passed the second time check with the third best time. They are 58" off the pace of Credit Agricole at the same stage.

15.29 The Top 5 At 18.5km

With all teams now passed the first time check at 18.5km, the best time goes to ONCE. The top five are: 1. ONCE 23'37"; 2. US Postal @ 3"; 3. Telekom @ 7"; 4. Festina @ 17"; 5. Credit Agricole @ 18".

15.27 US Posal Post First Time

At the 18.5km time check, the US Postal team have recorded the second-best time so far. They are 3" off the pace of ONCE and 4" better than Telekom.

15.26 CA Best At 3rd Check

The Credit Agricole team has just passed the 3rd check (at 56.4km). They have the best time so far with 1h09'28" - 27 seconds better than Rabobank.

15.23 ONCE's First Time Check

At the 18.5km mark, the ONCE team has recorded a time of 23'37" - they are the best of the day so far, 7" better than Telekom.

15.19 Steels Resting At Back of Mapei Pack

The winner of the last two stages, Tom Steels, is spending today at the back of his Mapei team's train. In the green jersey (and matching green shorts), the Belgian star is obviously resting with his priority the sprint stages which are yet to come later in this year's race.

15.16 Festina 10" Off Telekom's Pace

The Festina team has passed the first time check at 18.5km. They are currently in 2nd position, 10" off the pace of Telekom.

15.15 CA Lead At 40.6km

With 12 teams now passed the second time check, Credit Agricole has the best time at 40.6km. They are 23" better than Rabobank and 1'15" better than Memory Card-Jack&Jones.

15.12 Memory Card's Time

With just five riders at the finish, the Danish Memory Card-Jack & Jones team has the best time of the day so far. They are 1'00" better than Team Polti.

15.11 Madouas Back With His Festina Team

After losing contact early, Laurent Madouas has caught up with his 8 Festina team-mates.

15.10 Telekom New Best Time At 18.5km

At the first time check the Telekom team has recorded the best time so far. They are 11" faster than Credit Agricole at the same check.

15.09 Bonjour Drop One Rider; MCJ Drop Three

The Bonjour team has now finished their 70km test. They finished with 8 riders. The fourth team to finish, Memory Card-Jack & Jones, have finished with five riders. Times will follow shortly.

15.07 Millar's Cofidis Team's First Time Check

The Cofidis team has passed the first time check at 18.5km. They are currently in 6th place 36" off the pace of the best team at that point, Credit Agricole.

15.06 Madouas Dropped By Festina Team

Laurent Madouas has lost contact with his Festina team. The French team was the third-last team to leave Nantes. They are yet to pass the first time check at 18.5km.

15.05 FDJ At The Finish

The second team to finish today, La Francaise des Jeux, have also dropped two riders. There were seven riders in the group. They recorded a time which was 1'28" slower than the six Polti riders.

15.00 Armstrong Racing

The nine riders of the US Postal team of Lance Armstrong is now on the road.

14.59 Armstrong's Postal Team Due Soon

The final team to start today, US Postal, the current leaders of the team classification, is scheduled to start at 4.00pm. They are the last team to start today's 70km test.

14.58 Polti's Time

The six Polti riders recorded a time of 1h30'14". Richard Virenque was in this group - the two dropped riders are yet to be named.

14.57 Polti At The Finish

The first team to start today, Polti, has just crossed the finishline. They had six riders in the group at the finish. The time will follow shortly.

14.53 Good Time For Pantaini's Mercatone Uno

At the first check of the day, the Mercatone Uno team of 1998 Tour champion, Marco Pantani, has recorded a good time. They are currently placed 3rd at the 18.5km mark behind Credit Agricole and Rabobank.

14.50 Polti Passed The Fourth Time Check

The first squad to start, Team Polti, has passed the fourth time check of the day. The team of Richard Virenque has recorded a time of 1h21'56 at the 63.6km mark.

14.47 Ullrich's Telekom Team Now Racing

The fourth-last team to start, Jan Ullrich's Telekom team, is now on the road. Next to start is Festina, followed by ONCE and finally, US Postal.

14.40 Credit Agricole Now Best At 18.5km

The Credit Agricole team has passed the 18.5km mark with the best time so far. They are 6 seconds better than Rabobank and 30" better than Saeco.

14.35 Millar's Team Next To Start

The Cofidis team of the current race leader, David Millar, is the next to start today. He leads Lance Armstrong in the race for overall honours by four seconds at this stage of the Tour de France.

14.35 Danish Team On Top At 40.6km

The Memory Card-Jack & Jones team have recorded the best time so far at the 40.6km mark. With four teams passed this second time check, they lead Polti by 10", FDJ by 1'22" and Bonjour by 1'49".

14.33 World Number-One Team Scheduled Next

The number-one ranked team, Mapei-Quickstep, is the next team scheduled to start today. They may have already scored two stage wins so far in this year's Tour, thanks to Tom Steels, but their Tour squad for 2000 lacks any true time trial specialists.

14.30 Banesto Racing

The Banesto team of last year's Tour de France runner-up, Alex Zulle, has just started their team time trial. They are the 14th team to start today.

14.26 Mercatone Uno Team Racing

The pink brigade of the Mercatone Uno team has just left the start in Nantes. Their leader, 1998 Tour de France champion Marco Pantani, began the day in 139th place, 2'18" off the lead off David Millar.

14.24 FDJ Over One Minute Behind at 40.6km

The second team to start, La Francaise des Jeux, has recorded a time 1'12" slower than Polti at the second time check today.

14.22 First Team Passed Second Time Check

The Polti team has recorded a time of 51'34" at the second time check today (40.6km).

14.21 Tour Crosses The Pont de Saint-Nazaire

Today's time trial is essentially flat except for the 85m rise over the Pont de Saint-Nazaire. This bridge over the Loire River has been crossed five times in the history of the Tour - in 1975, '88, '93, '97 and '99.

14.18 Rear Disc Wheels For Credit Agricole

All nine riders of the Credit Agricole are riding with disc wheels on the rear despite the strong winds on today's 70km course.

14.15 Two Americans Now Racing

On the USA's Fourth of July national holiday, there are now two Americans racing. The Credit Agricole team of Bobby Julich and Jonathan Vaughters has just left the start in Nantes.

14.10 Saeco Set New Standard at 18.5km

The Saeco-Valli&Valli team have surpassed the previous best time (of Polti) at the first checkpoint today. They are 9" faster than Polti with a time of 24'25".

14.10 10th Team Now Racing

With two national champions in their line-up, Rabobank have begun their time trial. The riders in the colours of their countries are Leon van Bon (Netherlands) and Markus Zberg (Switzerland). Rabobank is the 10th team to leave today.

14.07 Danish Team Behind By 6" at 18.5km

The Memory Card Jack & Jones team have passed the 18.5km checkpoint. They are just 6 seconds off the fastest time (of Polti) at this stage of today's team time trial.

14.05 Vini Caldirola Now Racing

The three teams with 8 riders left in the race - Polti, Farm Frites and Vini Caldirola - are now racing. Each of these teams had one rider who returned a blood test with a hematocrit reading over the 50 per cent limit before stage one.

14.02 Bonjour Now Passed 18.5km Check

The third team to leave, Bonjour, have recorded a time of 25'26" at the 18.5km check point. They are 52" behind the time of Polti.

13.59 Eight Teams Now Racing

Last year's third overall team, Kelme, have begun their 70km effort. They are the eighth team to start today.

13.58 FDJ 41" Slower Than Polti

The Francaise des Jeux team have passed the 18.5km time check. They are 41" behind Polti's time.

13.56 Winners Of Team Time Trials This Year

There have already been five team time trials this year. The winning teams have been: Cofidis (in the Etoile de Besseges), ONCE (Tour of Mediteranean), Telekom (Tour of Germany), ONCE (Tour of Catalonia), Telekom (Tour of Switzerland).

13.53 Polti Passed First Time Check

The first team, Polti, has reached the first time check. They have recorded 24'34" for the first 18.5km.

13.51 Fourth Tour Visit To Saint-Nazaire

The Tour has visited the town of today's finish, Saint-Nazaire, on three previous occassions. The winners here have been: Derrigade (1958); Zilverberg (1962) and Tom Steels in last year's Tour.

13.48 Puncture For Crepaldi of Polti

Mirco Crepaldi of the Polti team has punctured at the 15km mark. His team has slowed to wait for his return to the group.

13.46 Seven Minute Limit Today

The time given for today's team test will be calculated by the fifth rider across the line. If there is a dropped rider, he will be given a later time. If he loses a lot of time, however, he will be given a time seven minutes later than his team's time.

13.42 Strong Headwind Today

As the riders race toward to the coastal town of Saint-Nazaire, the site of today's finish, they will face a headwind of about 30kph. The maximum temperature forecast for today's fourth stage is 22 degrees (C).

13.38 Four Intermediate Checks

There are four intermediate time checks for today's 70km team time trial. They are at 18.5km, 40.6km, 56.4km and 63.6km marks.

13.36 Two Teams Now On The Road

The first two teams have begun their 70km test. Team Polti was the first to leave, at 2.25pm; the next to depart the start in Nantes was the La Francaise des Jeux team at 2.30pm.

13.29 O'Grady's Comments On Le Mans Training

"There was more rubber than tarmac on the road at Le Mans," said one of the riders of the Credit Agricole team, Stuart O'Grady about his team's training session last week. O'Grady, was a member of the Australian world championship winning pursuit teams in 1993 and 1995.

13.24 Credit Agricole Should Motor Along

The Credit Agricole team has done some specific training for today's team test. Last week, the French team used the famed Le Mans 24-hour circuit to get in some extra, uninterupted practice for this technical discipline.

13.19 Big Day For USA

The US Postal team have an added incentive to try and win today. The team time trial conincides with the national holiday of the Fourth of July. With time trial masters like Armstrong, Hamilton and Ekimov, they are one of the favourites for the first team test since 1995.

13.11 Departure Order Dictacted By Team Classification

The teams will start in reverse order according to their position in the team classification. After the 3rd stage, it's the US Postal team of the Tour's defending champion, Lance Armstrong which will start last. Armstrong's team are due to leave at 4.00pm.

13.06 Stage Four Due To Start At 13.25

The highly anticipated team time trial stage of the Tour de France is due to begin at 13.25. The 20 teams of the Tour will depart at five minute intervals for the 70km race from Nantes to Saint-Naizare. The first team to start the fourth stage will be the Italian Polti squad.