Tour de France - stages 11 and 12 in pictures

Stage 11 was a 33km time trial from Avranches to Mont Saint Michel. Mark Cavendish (right) won't be expecting to win this one, that's for sure Photograph: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

A Euskaltel-Euskadi rider tackles the course as spectators watch Photograph: Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images

Omega Pharma-Quick Step rider Gert Steegmans of Belgium is followed by a support vehicle during the lonely 40-minute slog Photograph: Yoan Valat/AFP/Getty Images

Chris Froome of Team Sky cycles through Mont Saint Michel Photograph: Agence Zoom/Getty Images

Spanish rider Alberto Contador of the Saxo Tinkoff grits his teeth Photograph: Yoan Valat/EPA

Froome, who won bronze in the Olympic time trial behind Bradley Wiggins, produces a fine performance to finish second on the day (just 12 seconds behind the winner Tony Martin). Froome's nearest rivals in the overall standings finished more than two minutes slower than him, thereby increasingly the gap in the General Classification Photograph: Pascal Guyot/AFP/Getty Images

Stage 12 was a 218km race from Fougeres to Tours. Here, a banana is seen stowed in Arthur Vichot's jersey pocket Photograph: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

An ardent Froome fan dressed in the colours of the Union Flag seems oblivious as her favourite rider cycles past Photograph: Eric Gaillard/Reuters

Spectators eat a picnic and salute the riders Photograph: Eric Gaillard/Reuters

Five riders broke clear of the peloton in the early stages of the race, only to be caught in the closing kilometres ... and despite a crash in the dying moments, Froome and Cavendish were both unscathed Photograph: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

A sprint finish ensued between Marcel Kittel of Argos-Shimano (right) and Mark Cavendish of Omega Pharma-Quickstep Photograph: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

As this image shows, Cavendish was pipped to the line. Cavendish has moved up to second in the sprint classification, though he's unlikely to catch his main rival for that jersey, Peter Sagan, while Froome retains an overall race lead of three minutes 25 seconds over Alejandro Valverde. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images