Contador wins ITT

The Spaniard, peerless in the mountains, was also the fastest of the peloton against the clock with a time of 48 minutes 30 seconds.

The 2007 Tour champion beat Olympic gold medallist Fabian Cancellara by three seconds and Russia's Mikhail Ignatiev by 15 with Briton Bradley Wiggins finishing in sixth in a time of 49:13 to climb two places to fourth overall.

"For me to win a time trial at the Tour, it's just huge," said Contador.

"I went out hard but thinking only to protect my place in the GC. But when I got to the first time check and saw my time it gave me a bit more belief.

"After that I just went as hard as I could to the finish. It was a crucial day for me, and I came through it far better than I expected."

The main disappointment of the day came from American Lance Armstrong, who started fast but was unable to maintain the pace and finished 16th in a stage which seemed to suit his qualities.

But the seven-time champion's performance, 1:30 off the pace, was enough to oust Frank Schleck of Luxembourg from third spot overall.

Frank Schleck's brother Andy limited the damage to retain his second place, 4:11 behind Contador.

Andy Schleck, who is not a time trial specialist, punched above his weight in the race against the clock to finish 21st at 1:45 behind Contador.

Given that he was only 15 seconds behind Armstrong, it was a positive day for the Luxemburger.

Unless Contador experiences a sensational collapse in Saturday's 20th stage when the peloton finishes on the summit of the legendary Mont Ventoux, the Spaniard is assured of winning the race.

But Andy Schleck warned: "The race is still not over. We'll be doing what we can on the Mont Ventoux."

In the overall standings, Armstrong is 5:25 adrift while Wiggins is 5:36 off the pace but two seconds ahead of Germany's Andreas Kloeden with Frank Schleck dropping to sixth at 5:59.