STAGE 1: Belfast - Belfast 27 KM TTT

Stage Favourites:
*****Banco do Brasil ****T-Mobile - Deutsche Post *** Petro China
**Borussia Dortmund *Celesio

Make no bones about it there is no clear cut favourite for this stage.
We have checkpoints at 22 and 15 kilometres to go on this flat course.

Cue one of the most exciting and unpredictable TTT's you are likely to see/have seen for a long time.........

With 22 kilometres to go Aer Lingus set a time of 7'05, we have the first benchmark. It looks to be a decent time as T-Mobile - Deutsche Post set a time here of 7'08 and Koenigsegg - Libero already look out of the running with a time of 7'16.......

Matzka and Thomel prop up the Borussia Dortmund train.

Borussia Dortmund....go fastest at the first checkpoint with a time of 7'02.... but it is not long before stage favourites Banco do Brasil go fastest with a time of 7'00.....

The good times keep on coming and seemingly each of the last 8 teams off the start ramp, including last team off Celesio, beat the 7'00 mark.

The teams with the big two for the GC, Bluebell Creameries and Construtora AJS (Morkov and Popovych) set times around the 7'06 mark.

Celesio: 6'52
Cactus Giant: 6'54....... @ '2
Team Iberia/ Petro China: 6'56...... @ '4
Cartoon Network: 6'58........... @ '6

Koenigsegg do speed up and with 15 kilometres to go they trail the time of Borussia Dortmund (20'13) by just '7 seconds, they have cut the arrears in half.

Banco do Brasil ride the second third of the course better. They set a time of 20'07.......

Celesio set a time of 20'06 at the second checkpoint as teams such as Bluebell Creameries and Construtora AJS tire. But that isn't their only problem, no way Jose!

Morkov and Popovych look to tire towards the finish and they are being tailed off by their trains!

But things are about to get flipped upside down.......

With 3.8 kilometres to go Team Iberia are down to 5 riders and Ghyselinck looks to be the only man with anything left. Stronger head winds have picked up for the teams coming later to finish, but surely they can beat the final time of Borussia Dortmund (37'10).

It is all happening now! Bluebell Creameries and Construtora AJS have finished, but in their five riders there was NO Morkov or Popovych!

Not a good sign. Riders previously dropped by Team Iberia re-join towards the finish.

Many teams come across the finish withered and teams are barely coming home with 5 riders. Duval of T-Mobile could be seen riding ahead of his team and subsequently waiting up at times.

Yes the team which rode a steady and solid race from start to finish would be victorious. That team is.............

They weren't even in the top 5 at either checkpoint and weren't even in the top 8 at checkpoint 1 yet they rode a sure and steady race and are rewarded with the first victory of TOTC4! The victory being '14 ahead of Koenigsegg Libero and '15 ahead of Aer Lingus. 2 Solid TOTC teams round off the podium.

Biondo, officialy, takes the stage win having crossed the line 1st from the Borussia Dortmund lot and will wear the yellow as we delve into the Republic of Ireland for stage 2.

Boy, what a stage!