He almost slipped under the radar at the finale, but Chris Froome remains well placed overall – just 19 seconds behind Michael Albasini, and only 14 seconds behind Michal Kwiatkowski – after finishing tenth on stage two. Though never in contention for the stage win, Froome’s ride left him nicely positioned at the front of the race and shows he is getting his racing legs back ahead of what could be a potentially pivotal stage three.

Team Sky also seemed to have learned the lessons of stage one, leaving the chasing to Omega Pharma-Quickstep. Though happy to lend a hand, they kept their riders out of trouble. As a result, Spanish trio Mikel Nieve, David Lopez and Xabier Zandio were all available to keep Froome well-protected and avoid a repeat of his isolation the previous day. With four category one climbs to negotiate on stage three, it will be the best test yet of how Froome and his team-mates are shaping up for summer.