It is a sign of Chris Froome’s stunning form over the last two years that sixth place overall is his worst WorldTour result since the 2012 Tour de Romandie.

But for any doom-mongers out there it is by no means a cause for concern. Ruled out of Tirreno-Adriatico, Froome has returned from injury almost immediately and showed the inflammation of his back has not caused any major problems, in the short-term at least.

Up against his biggest rivals on the WorldTour stage –  barring Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) – Froome showed he is not too far behind despite only racing for the second time this season. It was his attack from which Joaquim Rodriguez went on to win the third stage – decisively as it turned out – and he even overcame a crash on stage seven to finish alongside his GC rivals once again. Last week marked 100 days until the Tour de France Grand Depart, and Froome is certainly on the right track to defend his maillot jaune.