Chris Froome enjoyed another trouble-free day in the bunch as he continues his comeback from the back injury, which forced his precautionary removal from Tirreno-Adriatico. Team Sky performed big shifts on the front to protect their team leader and were rewarded as he stayed clear of any crashes and remained alongside his chief rivals for the GC at the end. But it was far from a trouble-free day for the British team as Richie Porte was forced to abandon through illness – for the second consecutive race.

With Sir Bradley Wiggins having already withdrawn to focus on a training block ahead of Paris-Roubaix, and Geraint Thomas, Ian Stannard and Bernie Eisel preparing for the Classics season, it leaves Froome devoid of some of his key support riders. It is a chance for Sky to showcase their phenomenal strength in depth however, with David Lopez, Mikel Nieve and Kanstantsin Siutsou still at Froome’s side, while young riders Josh Edmondson and Nathan Earle have the chance to prove their worth alongside Danny Pate. Without Porte, they still performed very well for Froome, controlling the peloton for much of the day. All is far from lost for the Kenyan-born Brit.