Marcel Kittel’s third place may have raised a few eyebrows, but the German has been steadily proving himself against the clock this season. While the focus has, naturally, centred on his sprinting prowess, his time trialling performances this season have shown a huge improvement to that side of his racing. At the Dubai Tour he finished 11th – a result he was able to build on with three stage wins to finish sixth overall.

This was followed by 14th at the Ruta del Sol – just six seconds slower than the time Olympic champion Sir Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) posted, and Kittel’s most recent ‘race of truth’ before Romandie saw him finish sixth at the Three Days of De Panne. Over the longer distances he has not proved himself – and past form suggests he does not have the legs to compete on such stages – but in the shorter editions he may start to be recognised as a contender, with his explosiveness proving very effective so far.