It has not been the best of Tours so far for Team Sky as they are yet to even look remotely like sealing a stage victory, while Cadel Evans and Simon Gerrans have built decent leads over Richie Porte and Geraint Thomas overall. However, with the season just three days old, there is certainly no reason to panic. As Porte conceded after the race, sometimes when an opponent is in such good form there is not a lot you can do about it. Make no mistake, Sky will want every point they can get as they bid to return to world number one spot – thus far they have not collected a single one from the first three days. However, there are far bigger challenges ahead and plenty of reason to be optimistic.

An impressive, if unexpected, debut for Nathan Earle bodes well for the future and reflects well on Sky’s recruitment policy, while Ireland’s Philip Deignan – also on debut – has proved he is capable at this level after a strong, attacking ride in stage two. Porte and Thomas are not out of contention either, although the odds of an overall victory are certainly stacking up against them. Although it is a WorldTour race, the Tour Down Under also doubles as a form finder and a strong challenge for GC honours will give the coaching team plenty to work on in the coming months.