Postpublished at 14:52 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
Team Sky are under 2km to go, with a lead of six seconds on the split times...
Summary
Stage three: 35.5km team time trial, Cholet
BMC quickest in 38mins 46secs
Van Avermaet takes yellow jersey from Sagan
Froome & Team Sky +4secs
Quick-Step Floors +7secs
Adam Yates' Mitchelton-Scott +9secs
Postpublished at 14:52 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
Postpublished at 14:51 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
Movistar go through the second check 27 seconds down on Team Sky.
Not a good day for Valverde, Landa and Quintana.
Mitchelton-Scott finishpublished at 14:50 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
The Aussie team lose another rider in the final drag but crucially four riders cross the line in the same time and even more crucially one of them is Adam Yates.
They set the time to beat at 38 minutes 55 seconds.
Can Team Sky beat it? They will be next over the line.
Postpublished at 14:49 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
Mitchelton-Scott have shed three riders but Adam Yates is still there and they are driving for the line...
Postpublished at 14:48 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
BMC went through the first time check second quickest, in an almost identical time to Mitchelton-Scott and Team Sky.
AG2R La Mondiale set offpublished at 14:47 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
AG2R's Romain Bardet is one of the overall favourites for the Tour but really doesn't like time trialling.
His team need to do a superb job of shepherding him round today. Tony Gallopin and Silvan Dillier will be key figures - though the former is riding with a cracked rib and the latter crashed yesterday.
Team Sky fastest at second checkpublished at 14:45 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
Team Sky reach the second mark in 29 minutes three seconds.
That's 3.6 seconds quicker than Mitchelton-Scott.
It's still tight but the British team look they are trying to drive it home with a big effort over the second half of the course.
Postpublished at 14:43 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
Team Sky are approaching the second time check...
Postpublished at 14:43 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
Groupama FDJ are unsurprisingly comfortably off the pace at the first check, going through 41 seconds down on Mitchelton-Scott.
Postpublished at 14:42 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
Gareth Rhys Owen
BBC reporter, in FranceI think today will be a disaster for Dan Martin. His team are just not suited for a team time trial and he could lose two minutes on the other GC riders.
That could help him be allowed to go for stage wins later in the race though.
Poels droppedpublished at 14:41 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
Team Sky lose their second man as Wout Poels sits up.
He'll be a key lieutenant for Chris Froome in the mountains so is looking to save his legs.
UAE Team Emirates set offpublished at 14:40 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
UAE Team Emirates are off - Alexander Kristoff is wearing the green jersey on loan from Peter Sagan, who leads that category outright.
Ireland's Dan Martin will hope for a good ride to keep touch on GC but his team are not strong on paper.
Postpublished at 14:39 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
Mitchelton-Scott come up to the second time check at 26.5km.
It's a nasty, steep climb just before the check point on a twisting road.
Adam Yates' team set the mark at 29 minutes six seconds.
Rowe droppedpublished at 14:37 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
Team Sky have lost their first rider as Wales' Luke Rowe drops off, having buried himself on the first half of the course.
Remember, the time is taken from the fourth rider across the line.
The British team have around 15km left to ride.
Movistar third at first checkpublished at 14:36 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
Movistar go through the first time check in third - two seconds down on leaders Mitchelton-Scott.
Education First set offpublished at 14:36 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
Education First are the sixth team down the start ramp.
Remarkably, Lawson Craddock is still going despite breaking his scapula in a heavy crash on stage one.
What can the American contribute to his squad today?
Rigoberto Uran is hoping for a strong rider to keep up with his GC rivals.
Team Sky second at first checkpublished at 14:32 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
Team Sky cover the first 13km just one second slower than Mitchelton-Scott.
Going to be a tense battle between the first two squads on the road to set an early leading mark.
BMC set offpublished at 14:31 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
BMC have won two of the three TTTs at world tour level so far this year.
They get under way, looking to fire Richie Porte back up the general classification after he lost time in that crash on stage one.
They could also put Greg van Avermaet into yellow - the Belgian is 16 seconds down on Peter Sagan.
Postpublished at 14:29 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
Rob Hayles
Ex-GB cyclist on BBC Radio 5 live, in FranceIf it was a road race, this would be a sprinter's stage. But when you're riding on the limit in a team time trial, when it's rolling terrain like this, you've got to measure your effort even more.
Postpublished at 14:28 British Summer Time 9 July 2018
Mitchelton-Scott reached the first time check at 13km in 14 minutes 13 seconds.
That's the early mark - Team Sky will be at the time check soon.