BURY cyclist Adam Yates joined riders in the Tour de France in paying their respects to the victims of the Nice atrocity.

At least 84 people, including several children, died after a terrorist drove a truck through crowds celebrating Bastille Day along the Promenade des Anglais.

On Friday morning, Tour officials met with police, government, regional and security officials to discuss security arrangements, and Tour director Christian Prudhomme vowed the race would continue "in sobriety and with dignity".

Friday's stage 13 time trial took place in a subdued atmosphere with a heavy police presence following the terrorist attack in Nice on Thursday night.

Chris Froome strengthened his grip on the yellow jersey with second place as Tom Dumoulin won the trial.

Dutchman Bauke Mollema was the next best placed of the general classification contenders and moves up to second overall, now one minute and 47 seconds off Froome.

Mollema displaced 23-year-old Adam Yates who had expected to lose time on the 37.5 kilometre test from Bourg-Saint-Andeol to La Caverne du Pont d'Arc.

After the trial, Froome was joined on the podium by the other jersey holders - Yates in the young riders' white, Peter Sagan in the points leaders' green, and Thomas De Gendt in the king of the mountains' polka dots - as well as Dumoulin and several Tour officials to pay their respects to victims of the Nice attack.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme said: “We wish today to be dignified, in tribute to the victims. We are thinking about the families, we offer our condolences to everyone who has been affected, who has lost a loved one. To everyone who is injured, in flesh and in their being.

"We asked questions of ourselves, effectively. But we think, in agreement with the state authorities, that the race should continue, and we mustn't give in to pressure of people who want us to change our way of life."

While Yates ended the day third in the overall classification, 2:45 behind Froome, he tightened his grip on the white jersey, stretching his lead over second-placed South African Louis Meintjes to 3:03.

The former Derby High School pupil finished a creditable 18th in the stage, out of the 187-strong field.