Despite having never raced at the Tour of California, Etixx-QuickStep’s man of the moment Julian Alaphilippe is hoping he can pull of a good ride on Mount Baldy to challenge for the GC of the race.

“It’s my first time doing an eight-stage race, with mountains and a time trial, so I am just looking day after day,” Alaphilippe said. “I’ll do my best. There are a lot of good riders here. I’ll do my best to follow the best guys.”

The 22 year old from France has a fast finish and has scored bonus seconds already, and goes well up the short climbs like he did in the Ardennes. But sustaining his effort on the 7km Mount Baldy on stage seven may be a bridge too far for now.