Along with Chris Froome, Alberto Contador was the other leading favourite taking advantage of the day's echelon which left all their rivals 1:28 adrift and he paid homage to his team-mates and especially Australia's Michael Rogers.
“I just must thank my team-mates. Here's your man!” he told journalists in English as the Australian was riding past.
“We knew that with eight or nine guys up there, we could make a difference. We used our assets well. It was a good day, we'll keep trying tomorrow,” Rogers said.
