Vincenzo Nibali did what is probably his best performance all year when he finished sixth in the first mountain stage of the Criterium du Dauphiné. However, the Italian admits that Chris Froome and Alberto Contador are currently in a class of their own and he knew from the beginning that he would be unable to follow Froome's attacks.

Vincenzo Nibali has had a tough start to the season and has openly admitted that the spring campaign didn't live up to his expectations. Since then he has preparing himself for his biggest goal, the Tour de France, and after returning to competition in the Criterium du Dauphiné, he has proved that he is returning to his best form.

In the opening time trial, he did much better than expected by taking 8th and today he finished 6th in the first mountain stage of the race. Despite being unable to keep up with key rivals Chris Froome and Alberto Contador, he was pleased with the outcome as it came as no surprise to the 2013 Giro champion that the pair are currently a step above the rest.

"I'm not surprised by Froome's performance," he told Cyclismactu. "He was already very strong in the Tour de Romandie, and it is normal that he gets better as we get close to the Tour de France. I think he really wanted to show his superiority today and he wanted to take a solo win. With Alberto Contador, they are a level above the rest. I just spoke to Alberto. He seems to be very strong and I think, for his part, he was really determined to show Froome that he could follow him.

"Personally I know I'm not 100%. So I'm not so surprised by my performance. I had a difficult winter and some physical problems. But my training at altitude in May showed me that I have come back to a good level. When Froome launched his first attack, my director told me to follow him. But that's not what I did because I knew I could not. So I preferred to ride at my own pace."