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Czech Frantisek Rabon took advantage of Team Columbia's victory in the third stage of the Tour de Romandie to reclaim the race leader's yellow jersey.

Columbia won the 14.8km team time trial in 18 minutes and 37 seconds, beating teams Caisse d'Epargne and Saxo Bank by 10 and 16 seconds respectively in the picturesque spa town of Yverdon-Les-Bains.

Rabon, winner of the prologue, has been making the best of timed efforts but Swiss Gregory Rast, the race leader at the start, was unable to follow his own Astana partners in the punishing team effort and was forced to hand back his jersey.

Overall, Rabon leads Dane Lars Back by just a second ahead of Saturday's 157.5km fourth stage to Ste Croix, seen as the most gruelling in the race with three first category climbs.

"In the prologue, I was strong," Rabon said. "Today the whole team was strong. Our main goal in this Tour de Romandie was to win this team time trial and, whatever comes next, this was a great week."

Rabon said he would try his best to defend first place but Columbia have a second card to play in young German Tony Martin, who is third overall, eight seconds behind the Czech.

Arguably the most serious threat to Rabon is now pre-race favourite Alejandro Valverde, who lies fourth overall 19 seconds behind thanks to his Caisse d'Epargne team's second place.

"Alejandro came here because he needs race days but he is eager to win a stage and even the whole thing," said the Spaniard's manager Francis Lafargue.

Valverde faces an ever tougher test on May 11, when a case is heard by the Italian Olympic Committee for his alleged implication in the Operacion Puerto blood doping scandal. He denies any wrongdoing.

The other favourites in Saturday's mountain stage are 2006 Tour de Romandie winner Cadel Evans of Australia, who is 40 seconds behind in 13th place, and Czech Roman Kreuziger, ninth overall and 34 seconds off the pace.

Australian sprinter Robbie McEwen, who had won a stage every year since 2006, pulled out of the race early in the time trial having struggled since the start of the Tour de Romandie.

Reuters