Romain Bardet and Jean-Christophe Peraud both missed the split in today's stage of the Tour de France and lost 1.28 to some of their main rivals.

"We expected to have a tough day and it turned out just like we had feared," Peraud said. "We lost time but it is not catastrophic. Only three riders who ride for GC, were in the first group and Contador and Froome already seemed a bit above us.

"It's a shame. I have not felt like I defended my chances as I could. I was already in the grass to avoid a crash before the echelons were made. That was when the group split. I was not in the mix today."

"I was in the right group when Bouhanni crashed in a roundabout," Bardet said. "I could not be better placed. I got up quickly but the peloton had split. Then I chased all day. We rode strongly, especially with Astana and FDJ. It was a great effort but I still had a bad luck.

"The day was very nervous since km 30. As soon as there was rain and wind, it makes everyone nervous. There were crashes, splits. This is the Tour. It is not decisive. There is still a long way to Paris."

"To lose 1.28 is always a shame but the majority of leaders and outsiders are in the same situation as we are," sports director Julien Jurdie said. "There is frustration but nothing is lost. Romain crashed at the wrong time when he was with Froome and Contador and had done everything to stay with them. Anyway, it was a good show with extreme conditions that no one had really forecated. That made for a tense race."