Porte wins time trial at Criterium du Dauphine; Froome 8th

BOURGOIN-JALLIEU, France (AP) Australian rider Richie Porte beat the favorites to win the individual time trial on stage four of the Criterium du Dauphine on Wednesday, while Belgian rider Thomas De Gendt retained the overall lead.

The 32-year-old Porte finished 12 seconds ahead of pre-stage favorite Tony Martin of Germany and 24 seconds ahead of Spaniard Alejandro Valverde.

Defending champion Chris Froome - one of the best time trial riders in the world - was only eighth quickest and 37 seconds adrift.

Although not a specialist, De Gendt was a commendable ninth best - trailing Porte by 42 seconds.

Porte completed the 23.5 kilometers (14.6 miles) from La Tour-du-Pin to Bourgoin-Jallieu in 28 minutes, 7 seconds, and was the only one to reach a speed of 50 kilometers (31 miles) per hour.

Froome is bidding to win the race for the fourth time, while Porte is trying to win it for a third time.

In the overall standings, Porte moved up to second place - 27 seconds behind De Gendt, while Valverde rose to third.

Froome is 1:04 behind De Gendt in sixth place heading into Thursday's fifth stage.

Stage 5 is a slightly hilly trek of 175.5 kilometers (108.8 miles) from La Tour-de-Salvagny to Macon.

The race, a warmup for the Tour de France, ends Sunday.