Chris Froome
Team Sky outfit came home second but Froome holds onto the yellow jacket. Getty

Chris Froome increased his lead in the Tour de France despite losing out by the narrowest of margins in the Team Time Trial on Sunday 12 July.

The 2013 champion's Team Sky outfit came home second after being pipped by just one second on stage eight at Plumelec to the BMC outfit.

But that still saw Froome increase his overall lead in the battle for the Yellow Jersey to 12 secs over American Tejay van Garderen of BMC who moved into second overall.

The Kenya-born rider was also boosted heading into Monday's rest day as as he took time out of all his other man rivals.

Froome's nine-man squad beat Alberto Contador's Tinkoff-Saxo outfit by 37 secs, claimed three secs out of Nairo Quintana and took another 34 secs out of defending champ Vincenzo Nibali.

He leads Contador by one min three secs, Quintana by one min 59 secs while Nibali has dropped to a huge two mins 22 secs down.

Froome, 30, said: "This is another good day and it's great to still be in Yellow.

"Iy was a great effort by all the shame and we came so close to winning the stage.

"Tejay has to be the main rival now, but it's down to other teams to attack to try and win the Yellow Jersey."

Froome's Sky team were ahead after the final time check after a thrilling battle with van Garderen's BMC squad.

But the punishing 17.3mile route from Vannes - which had a tough one mile climb at the finish - began to take its toll.

And as Ireland's Nicolas Roche began to feel his legs, the other riders had to look round to make sure he was not completely dropped.

Despite Froome's efforts, they had to accept defeat by one second as Roche crossed the line as the fifth and final counting rider of the nine tat started.

Froome, though, can have no issues as to how the first part of the Tour has gone though the serious business starts on Tuesday with the first mountain test in the Pyrenees.

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