Britain’s Chris Froome retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey after a closely fought team time trial on stage nine of the Tour de France in Brittany.

Froome’s Team Sky were last out on the 28km route and finished in second, 0.62 seconds slower than BMC Racing.

The 2013 champion now leads BMC’s American rider Tejay van Garderen by 12 seconds in the overall standings.

Froome gained more time on two-time winner Alberto Contador, Nairo Quintana and defending champion Vincenzo Nibali.

Italian Nibali was the day’s biggest loser in the battle between the so called ‘big four’ with his Astana team finishing 35 seconds adrift of the winners. He now trails Froome by two minutes and 22 seconds.

“I am surprised he’s lost so much time already,” said Froome.

“I certainly didn’t expect it. I thought he was going to be the one guy from the main contenders who would gain time in this first phase of the race.

“Nibali and Quintana have lost substantial time already so the pressure is on them to be attacking as we go into the climbs.”

Quintana picked up valuable time on Contador and Nibali as his Movistar team finished just four seconds off the pace. He now trails Froome by one minute, 59 seconds.

Contador’s Tinkoff-Saxo squad fared a little better, finishing 28 seconds behind BMC, to leave him 63 seconds behind Froome. The Spaniard is looking to become the first man since Marco Pantani in 1998 to win the Tour and Giro d’Italia in the same year.

Van Garderen, who was fifth last year, and in 2012, is positioning himself as a rider Froome will need to keep an eye on when the race resumes in the Pyrenees mountains on Tuesday after Monday’s rest day.

The American said it would be “a tall order” for him to win the Tour but added “everything’s clicking and it’s all about momentum”.

The 22 teams in the race set off at five minute intervals from Vannes and Team Sky were level with BMC, the team time trial world champions, at the 10km time check.

Froome, the 2012 Olympic time trial bronze medallist, put in several big turns on the front of the Team Sky train as they moved one second ahead of BMC at 20.5km and five seconds clear at the bottom of the 1.7km climb to the finish in Plumelec.

However, with the clock not stopping until the first five riders crossed the finish line, the British-based team blew their advantage.

They had just five riders left on the ascent and Irish rider Nicolas Roche was clearly struggling in the closing stages, so much so that Froome had to ease off and shout encouragement.

While that undoubtedly cost Team Sky the stage win, they had the consolation of retaining the yellow jersey.

A Geraint Thomas column assessing the opening week of this year’s Tour will be on the BBC Sport website from Monday morning.

Stage nine result:

1. BMC Racing (US) 32mins 15secs

2. Team Sky (GB) +01sec

3. Movistar (Spa) +04secs

4. Tinkoff – Saxo (Rus) +28secs

5. Astana (Kaz) +35secs

General classification:

1. Chris Froome (GB) Team Sky 31hrs 34mins 12secs

2. Tejay van Garderen (US) BMC Racing +12secs

3. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing +27secs

4. Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff – Saxo +38secs

5. Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff – Saxo +1min 03secs

6. Rigoberto Uran (Col) Etixx – Quick-Step +1min 18secs

7. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar +1min 50secs

8. Geraint Thomas (GB) Team Sky +1min 52secs

9. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar +1min 59secs

10. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx – Quick-Step Same time

Selected other:

13. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana +2mins 22secs