They breed ‘em in tough in Wales – and Geraint Thomas is about as tough as they come, as he proved again on stage 16 of the Tour de France.

The Welshman was, accidentally it must be stressed, forced from the road when Warren Barguil over-shot a corner, but the Team Sky man – who collided with a telegraph pole – not only avoided serious injury but remounted and finished the stage, holding on to his sixth place.

It was one of the biggest talking points in a race of two parts, which had earlier seen Ruben Plaza solo to victory despite Peter Sagan attacking the descent with jaw-dropping fervour behind him.

But as the race reached the Alps, with the final rest day awaiting us tomorrow, what did we learn from an incident-packed stage, and where are we at going forward?

Read the three things we learned over the following pages.