Romain Bardet surprised everyone by finishing 6th in the Tour de Romandie time trial which was enough to move into 8th in the overall standings.

"This is my best against the clock since I turned pro," he said. "I approached it very relaxed. In my mind, there was not much to achieve. I have worked a lot on this discipline in recent months and it pays off. The terrain suited me and I started a little faster than usual.

"It was my last big effort before a small rest and then after a few days I will start to train on the Col du Lautaret. I'm fit and I'm happy to have beaten a few specialists. Frankly, after the team time trial on the first day, I could not see myself finishing in the top 10 overall."