Wout Poels has been an under-rated part of the Omega Pharma-Quickstep team so far this year.  Michal Kwiatkowski has announced himself as a rising star, the sprint train has started to come together in service of Cavendish, and the Classics squad is packed with superstar. Poels, by contrast, has just gone on with his task and perhaps slipped under the radar.

His importance has not been lost on his team-mates – with Kwiatkowski among the first to congratulate Poels on-line. Indeed, it was in support of the Pole that Poels found himself in the leading group, and it was thanks to Kwiatkowski’s efforts disrupting the chase he so convincingly stayed clear. Nevertheless, it was a deserved victory and a short time in the spotlight – and a timely public reminder of his climbing credentials too.