A well-timed break, with strong riders all pulling hard, can succeed. Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) and Tom-Jelte Slagter (Garmin-Sharp) proved that at Paris-Nice, while Simon Geschke (Giant-Shimano), Benjamin King (Garmin-Sharp) and Adam Hansen (Lotto-Belisol) all deserved far more credit than they were given for their efforts on the Guardiagrele at Tirreno-Adriatico. And while they only had a small lead and a long way to go, Wilco Kelderman (Belkin), Romain Hardy (Cofidis) and Mikael Cherel (Ag2r-La Mondiale) looked up for the challenge after their attack on the descent of the Alt de Collsacreu.

And for a time it was working well. Their gap of 20 seconds was only marginal, but with the powerful engines of Kelderman and Cherel certainly well up for the fight they looked like staying clear for at least a few more kilometres. And then all of a sudden it was over as Hardy, at second wheel, misread some road furniture rode round it the wrong way – with Cherel following him – and obliterating any hope they had of succeeding. Not his finest moment.