Pena’s first for ColombiaBy Paul Handler

A COLOMBIAN rider claimed the yellow jersey for the first time in Tour de France history yesterday as Lance Armstrong’s US Postal team took a firm grip on the centenary running of the world’s most famous cycling race.

But Scotland's David Millar is now two minutes off the pace after his Cofidis side were left in the shade by US Postal, whose ability to stay in tight formation even on tough mountain climbs has earned them the nickname "the Blue Train".

Victor Hugo Pena sat proudly on top of the overall standings after the team time trial, with the "Postmen" sweeping to victory ahead of the ONCE and Bianchi outfits who were 30 and 43 seconds back respectively.

The result means US Postal hold the top eight places in Le Tour and, although Pena will enjoy his time in the limelight, four-time winner Armstrong is just one second back and looking a good bet to be wearing yellow in the near future.

However, the 31-year-old should not count on any favours from his team-mate Pena, who was in confident mood at the finish in Saint-Dizier.

"Maybe I will have a little battle with Lance," said the Colombian, before praising the American as "the best team-mate in the world".

Armstrong was delighted his team had broken their duck in the team time-trial event. The Texan, who is bidding for a record-equalling fifth victory in Le Tour this summer, said: "It is a very hard type of exercise for the team, it was very difficult out there because there was a lot of headwind we have always been second or third before in this discipline."

The team time trial is not without its critics, as the clock is stopped after a team's first five riders cross the finish line, meaning a strong rider in a weak team will suffer. The implications of a team time trial meant French hero Jean-Patrick Nazon was always likely to lose the yellow jersey just 24 hours after he had won stage three.

But there was no telling which of the 22 teams lining up at Joinville earlier in the day would claim the prize for their best-placed rider after the 69km run to Saint Dizier.

ONCE, for whom Spaniard Joseba Beloki would have taken yellow, were the favourites in many people's eyes, having won last year's team time trial with last year's runner-up Beloki considered the biggest threat to Armstrong for overall victory.

The teams set off at five-minute intervals and, of the early starters, Italy's Fasso Bortolo were the pacesetters. As more teams rolled off the ramp the iBanesto.com and Telekom teams began to push in front and they finished fourth and sixth respectively.

Tyler Hamilton, riding with a fractured collar-bone since the pile-up which blighted Sunday's stage, put in another remarkable performance to cross the line with the rest of his CSC team-mates in 10th place.

However, the real contenders were the late starters and as soon as the ONCE team were on the road they upped the tempo recording the fastest time through the 44.5km time check. Team Bianchi, led by Germany's 1997 Tour champion Jan Ullrich, kept in touch but US Postal's progress was irresistible as the time trial wore on. By the finish they had done enough to monopolise the overall standings, while Australian Robbie McEwen of the Lotto team holds onto the green jersey.