In another good day for Team Columbia Kim Kirchen put in an excellent performance in the Individual Time Trial to place second and retain the green Points Jersey, whilst teammate Thomas Lövkvist had the ride of his life to finish with the white Young Riders jersey.

Kirchen was very pleased with his ride crediting Team Director Rolf Aldag for the motivation. “I felt really good today and I had Rolf in my ear giving me very good information. It was really motivating.”

“I was actually a little surprised at how well I rode in the time trial,” he added. “I felt great on the bike and the crowds along the roads really helped me keep focussed.”

Columbia finished not only with Kirchen in second, but also George Hincapie in ninth and Lövkvist in eleventh.

Team Owner Bob Stapleton was again pleased with the way all of the riders are riding. “It was another solid team performance,” he said. “It was our fourth top five performance in three days. We’re particularly proud of taking both the green and the white jersey’s. The great teamwork and the performances position us well as the race continues.”