While he went on to win the stage, Nacer Bouhanni must have felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu when he crashed early in the stage. In this very race last year he crashed out on stage two while in the yellow jersey, triggering an injury-hit campaign for the Frenchman. This time out, he was able to recover from the crash but the effects of hitting the deck had clearly taken a toll on the former French champion, who made several visits to the doctor’s car.

In a post-race interview he said it was adrenaline which took him to victory, with the pain in his knee forgotten about in the heat of the sprint finish. It allowed him a return to the yellow jersey and a chance to do what he was unable to in 2013 – defend it for at least one stage. But there was certainly a lesson for the 23-year-old too. He is rightly considered a leading sprinter once he gets going, but if the Frenchman wants to fulfil his undoubted talent he must take care too. He recovered from this crash, but will he the next?