Tony Martin wins Stage 11 individual time trial

As the Tour de France enters its 12th stage Thursday, five things to know:

1. TIME ON THEIR SIDE: Tony Martin took a speedy 36 minutes to complete the Stage 11 time trial. Then he had to wait more than four hours to find out nobody beat his time and he’d won the first individual time trial. Chris Froome, as the overall race leader, started last in Wednesday’s stage and finished second to Martin by only 12 seconds. But the British rider also scored his own victory: He cemented his hold on the yellow jersey by gaining time on his top rivals for the overall title.

2. GERMAN GESTALT? Martin’s win has given Germans more than one-third of the stage victories this year. Marcel Kittel won the first and 10th stages, and fellow sprinter Andre Greipel won Stage 6.

3. ALPINE ATTACKS: Although Froome leads rivals Alberto Contador and Alejandro Valverde of Spain by more than three minutes, he said he expects relentless attacks when the race reaches the Alps in the third week after two flat stages Thursday and Friday, and then a hilly stage Saturday.

4. COASTLINE CRUISING: This 100th Tour has been one of the most beachcombing Tours in recent memory. Seven stages have had finishes with a view of the sea or almost: three in Corsica, two on the Mediterranean coast of France’s mainland and two on the English Channel. The grand finale of seaside stages came Wednesday at Mont-St.-Michel.

5. BEAUTY’S BACK STORY: Riders had to negotiate a dusty gravel road — until now used by earthmovers on the construction site — to return to their team cars after the finish. Idled backhoes and bulldozers sat parked in formation atop a levee, a silhouette against a clear blue sky and the majestic island backdrop. Tour organizers this year have been as ambitious as ever in designing a scenic route, starting with the race’s debut on bucolic Corsica. Still, it has brought some headaches. Garmin-Sharp’s Daniel Martin admired the “spectacular” setting for Wednesday’s finish but said: “I’m not too keen on these gravel roads to get back to the team cars.”

Stage 11 results

1. Tony Martin, Germany, 36:29.

2. Chris Froome, England, 0:12 behind.

3. Thomas De Gendt, Belgium, 1:01.

4. Richie Porte, Australia, 1:21.

5. Michal Kwiatkowski, Poland, 1:31.

Overall standings

1. Chris Froome, England, 42:29:24.

2. Alejandro Valverde, Spain, 3:25 behind.

3. Bauke Mollema, Netherlands, 3:37.

4. Alberto Contador, Spain, 3:54.

5. Roman Kreuziger, Czech Republic, 3:57.