Tour of Britain Stage 3 – In Pictures

A rider from the IG Sigma Sport team mounts up in the sodden start hut. Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Chris Opie of Great Britain youth team enters the start hut as Bernhard Eisel of Sky waits to be called – which looks like it can't come a moment too soon. Photograph: Tom Jenkins

The Tour of Britain regularly pits smaller domestic teams against the professional peloton, and the difference in infrastructure and funding can be enormous. Here a rider from the Rapha-Condor-Sharp squad warms up on the rollers in the glamorous confines of the team van … Photograph: Tom Jenkins

… Compare that to Team Sky's undercover set-up next to the team bus (jokingly referred to by fans as 'the Death Star') as Tour de France winner and Olympic TT champion Bradley Wiggins warms up. Photograph: Tom Jenkins

An official keeps the starting ramp as dry as possible as Sky's young neo-pro Josh Edmondson awaits the countdown. Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Ian Stannard on his way to second place with a blistering 20:26. Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Nairo Quintana, second place finisher and King of the Mountains from this year's Tour de France, recovered from stage 2's breakaway attempt with Dan Martin up the Honister Pass to finish 1:35 down on Wiggins. Photograph: Tom Jenkins

The course at Knowsley Safari Park made for a surrealy setting for a bike race at times. Not least for these giant meerkat statues – the 180 degree turns around traffic cones were a little odd as well. Photograph: Tom Jenkins

A local fan from nearby cycling club the Liverpool Century tries to get the best view. Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Mark Cavendish, although not a specialist in the discipline, can still produce a mean time trial over short distances, especially over technical courses. He finished in 10th place, 1.26 down. Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Bradley Wiggins was famously disqualified from a club 10 mile time trail shortly before his breakthrough ride in the 2009 Tour de France. The problem? The Cycling Time Trials organisation deemed his UCI-legal wheels illegal. No problems for the Tour of Britain, however, as the race is run under the umbrella of the UCI. Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Wiggins pulls on the gold leader's jersey – probably not for the last time this race. The climbers are sufficiently distanced to mean it'll be incredibly difficult to overturn his lead. With the Tour of Britain's small six man teams making it hard to fully control the race, however, it's by no means a certainty. Photograph: Tom Jenkins