Durbridge claims Poitou Charentres time trial and race lead

Durbridge covered the 22.1km course in a time of 26min 30sec to finish nine seconds ahead of Jeremy Roy (FDJ-BigMat) and take the overall race lead.

Lazlo Bodrogi (Team Type 1-Sanofi) came in third at 17 seconds.

The stage victory was the fourth in the chrono discipline for the Australian time trial champion this season, including this year's prologue at the Criterium Dauphine, and the Circuit Sarthe.

"The time trial was good," said Durbridge. "When you come out with a win, it's always good. It's a big relief. I'm happy to be able to repay my team-mates for the hard work they do to save my legs before a time trial. When I can come out and do a good ride like this, I know that I was well looked after all week.

"The course started off with a bit of a tailwind, and I was able to get up reach a high speed quickly. We rode on flat farm roads until around the half-way point when there was a bit of a climb. It was nothing super steep, but the road was quite dead and sort of bumpy for the rest of the course.

"The wind started to pick up, and I faced a stiff headwind for about five kilometres once I got over that climb. From there, it was a three kilometre descent to the finish. The back half of the course was heavy, and it was important to save as much as energy as possible for that second half."

Orica-GreenEDGE has led the Tour de Poitou Charentres from the opening stage, first with Aidis Kruopis, who won the first two stages, and now Durbridge.

"I came here with good form, and the focus was always for me to take the stage win today and move into the overall lead," said Durbridge. "We came into today ahead of schedule with two stage wins and the race lead. It will be tough to defend the jersey tomorrow, but I have every confidence that the team can do it."

On a day that featured a split stage, Kruopis remained in the white leader's jersey heading into the afternoon time trial after Giacomo Nizzolo (RasdioShack-Nissan) claimed the victory in the 99.4km morning road stage from Pleumartin and La Roche Posay.

Nizzolo outsprinted Denis Flahaut (Roubaix Lille Metropole) and Maxime Le Montagner (Veranda Rideau-Super U) to the line, taking his fourth victory of the season.

Stage 3: 99.4km, Pleumartin to La Roche Posay
1 Giacomo Nizzolo (ITA) Radioshack-Nissan 2hr 14min 37sec
2 Denis Flahaut (FRA) Roubaix Lille Metropole            
3 Maxime Le Montagner (FRA) Veranda Rideau-Super U            
4 Fabien Bacquet (FRA) Auber 93            
5 Manuel Belletti (ITA) AG2R-La Mondiale           
6 Yauheni Hutarovich (BLR) FDJ-BigMat            
7 Sebastien Chavanel (FRA) Europcar            
8 Leigh Howard (AUS) Orica-GreenEDGE     
9 Alexander Serebryakov (RUS) Team Type 1-Sanofi            
10 Robin Stenuit (BEL) Wallonie Bruxelles-Credit Agricole

Stage 4: 22.1km ITT, La Roche Posay
1  Luke Durbridge (AUS) Orica-GreenEDGE 26min 30sec
2  Jeremy Roy (FRA) FDJ-BigMat 0:00:09      
3  Lazlo Bodrogi (FRA) Team Type 1-Sanofi 0:00:17      
4  Vasil Kiryienka (BLR) Movistar 0:00:20      
5  Ruben Plaza (ESP) Movistar 0:00:21      
6  Jean Christophe Peraud (FRA) AG2R-La Mondiale 0:00:22      
7  Julien Antomarchi (FRA) Team Type 1-Sanofi 0:00:26      
8  Marc Goos (NED) Rabobank 0:00:35      
9  Christophe Kern (FRA) Europcar            
10  Rui Da Costa (POR) Movistar            

General classification
1 Luke Durbridge (AUS) Orica-GreenEDGE 12hr 31min 54sec      
2 Jeremy Roy (FRA) FDJ-BigMat 0:00:09      
3 Lazlo Bodrogi (FRA) Team Type 1-Sanofi 0:00:12      
4 Vasil Kiryienka (BLR) Movistar 0:00:20      
5 Ruben Plaza (ESP) Movistar 0:00:21      
6 Jean Christophe Peraud (FRA) AG2R-La Mondiale 0:00:22      
7 Julien Antomarchi (FRA) Team Type 1-Sanofi 0:00:26      
8 Marc Goos (NED) Rabobank 0:00:35      
9 Christophe Kern (FRA) Europcar            
10 Rui Da Costa (POR) Movistar