Dutchman Bauke Mollema was the next best placed of the contenders and moves up to second overall, now one minute and 47 seconds off Froome.
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Despite finding himself just 10 seconds down on resounding stage victor Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) at the first checkpoint – at the top of the 7km incline – Porte finished 3:08 back, conceding just over two minutes to race leader Chris Froome.
“I’m happy with how the stage went but everyone’s thoughts are with the people in Nice”.
On Wednesday evening, organisers had announced their decision to shorten Thursday’s stage by six kilometres due to gale-force winds at Ventoux’s exposed summit, but in the hard conditions that left insufficient time for the barriers which usually protect the final few kilometres of a stage to be moved down the mountain – with only around 600 metres protected.
The security presence at the Tour had already been strong but was noticeably increased for Friday’s time trial between Bourg-Saint-Andeol and La Caverne du Pont d’Arc in the wake of the attack.
Dumoulin, who also won last Sunday’s ninth stage, had a long wait before his victory was confirmed having overhauled early pace-setter Nelson Oliveira of Portugal, who ended up third.
Key rival Nairo Quintana is now nearly three minutes off the leading pace in fourth.
BBC reported that Christian Prudhomme said that whilst the race is to go ahead, that they wanted to mark the day with “dignity”.
The Tour de France resumed under heightened security and in a low-key mood on Friday after race officials observed a minute’s silence in tribute to the scores of victims of the Bastille Day attack in Nice.
Starting well before the race’s overall leaders on a day featuring 70-kph (45-mph) winds, Dumoulin dominated the 37.5-kilometer (23-mile) race against the clock from Bourg-Saint-Andeol to La Caverne du Pont-D’arc, the decorated cave that contains human drawings from about 30,000 years ago. Maybe yesterday it was too big and they have a lot of negatives. “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”.
Fellow Briton Adam Yates, 23, dropped from second to third, but continues to have a remarkable Tour, finishing seven seconds quicker than the highly regarded Nairo Quintana.
The publicity caravan, which precedes the riders on the route every day handing out free gifts and souvenirs and blasting loud music, rode silently.
“I know the route very well.This stage might have been underestimated because it’s not an uphill finish but it has 4,000 metres of difference in altitude and a critical final descent”.
Eric Luzet, the police liaison officer to the Tour, told The Associated Press that extra security measures were implemented overnight, with 600 police officers overseeing the stage.
The BMC Racing rider was involved in a pile-up with Froome on Thursday’s 12th stage after hitting a TV motorbike that was forced to stop by spectators crowding in on the course.
Froome was awarded the same time as Mollema, a decision that left Mollema unhappy.
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If he looks over his shoulder, Froome will first see Mollema, who was, along with his former team mate Richie Porte, the only rider to hold his wheel on the Ventoux.
