Romain Feillu of France reacts on the podiium as he puts on the overall leader's yellow jersey at the end of the third stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Saint-Malo and Nantes, western France on July 7.

David Millar and Swiss Fabian Cancellara are expected to battle it out for the yellow jersey in the fourth stage, a 29.5-km solo effort against the clock today.

The duo has already won two time-trials each on the Tour de France.

Millar, with a one-minute 46 second deficit to overall leader Romain Feillu and Cancellara, who lies six seconds further back, should comfortably topple the Frenchman at the end of the day.

Following three nervous days marred by crashes and bad conditions, pleasant weather should return in Cholet, a city the Tour last visited in 1998 when Festina manager Bruno Roussel was arrested by police a few days before the whole team were sent packing amid a doping scandal.

Millar will be on his favourite terrain, having won the 2000 prologue and a time trial in Nantes five years ago.

"He has been very focused since the start of the Tour," said Garmin-Chipotle sports director Lionel Marie.

Cancellara, a winner of the prologue in London last year and of a time-trial in Liege in 2004, said: "First of all, I must say I am happy that I will have the road only for myself, freed from the fear of a crash."

"Sometimes, it comes very close and I have been very stressed since the start of the Tour."

The Milan-San Remo winner will give his all today and he will spare energy before the last time-trial in St Amand Montrond on July 26 as he gears up for the Olympic Games.

"Win it (today) and take the yellow jersey is an exciting challenge," the two-time time trial world champion said.

Race favourites Alejandro Valverde and Cadel Evans should not be totally ruled out of contention, however.

Although the Spaniard of the Caisse d'Epargne team is not a time-trial specialist, he won against the clock in the Dauphine Libere last month.

He said: "(I have looked) at the course and I think it is a good one for me: not too long, less than 30 kilometres and rather technical. The kind of time-trial I like."

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily July 8, 2008)