But for an ill-timed puncture, stage five could well have been near-perfect for Omega Pharma-Quickstep.

Tony Martin pulled hard in the break, before being reunited with Kwiatkowski, Matteo Trentin and Mark Renshaw in the lead group, where both themselves and Astana boasted nig numerical advantages.

And with their GC hope Kwiatkowski safely in tow, and the Pole no bad one-day rider – Strade Bianche success proving as much – they were well set to push home an advantage.

Of course, it did not quite go to plan – the Pole’s puncture costing him his place in the front group.

But while on the face of it the Belgian super team’s luck appears to be out – Mark Cavendish having already crashed out – it was still a very good day for Kwiatkowski.

Now sat fourth overall, having finished seventh on the stage, Kwiatkowski trails Vincenzo Nibali by just 50 seconds, and has more than that in his favour on all of the other GC contenders.

He still has to prove himself in the mountains – something he struggled to do at Tirreno-Adriatico earlier in the year – but the white jersey, which the 24-year-old is currently protecting for Peter Sagan, is certainly within reach.