Vincenzo Nibali enjoyed the first rest day at the Tour de France as the race leader and has a comfortable lead over his nearest rivals. However, the Italian refuses that the race has already been won and refers to the threats posed by Richie Porte and Alejandro Valverde.

The feeling of being the centre of a attention on a grand tour rest day is not new to Vincenzo Nibali who found himself in a similar position when he won last year's Giro d'Italia. However, the Italian now leads the Tour de France, the biggest race in the world, and the media attention was much bigger than it was in Italy 12 months ago when he lined up for today's press conference.

However, Nibali was his usual relaxed self and didn't seemed to stressed about the situation. However, he still warned that the race is only at its halfway point and that lots can happen between now and the finish in Paris.

"The Tour is not over, not by a long way," he said. "There are still a lot of stages to go before the finish. Anything can happen, there can surprises every day and there are big rivals like Porte and Valverde. They're the toughest ones.

"We've got to stay calm, stay tranquillo and study the situation. When something seems easy, sometimes it can get very difficult. I'm tranquil because the team is solid. So far we've managed the race well so far.

"For sure I've got to watch Pinot and Bardet, they've a bit behind but not by that much. On yesterday's stage Kwiatkowski gained more than four minutes at one point and that's an example of what can happen. They're all well prepared to do well at the Tour. I'll never underestimate anyone. I did that at the Vuelta (in 2013), we underestimated Horner, and he went on to win.

"My lead is good but if I can increase it, I'll do it. I don’t honestly remember the name of the next mountain finish but why not there?

"These first 10 days have been hard; there was no prologue, no transfer days. We're here at the rest day and I think it's important for everyone at the race.

"I don’t think they'll sit and wait. Valverde is here to do the GC and so is Porte. Richie is a good rider but it all depends on how he is going. He was good at the Dauphiné and worked hard for Froome. The day that Contador got the jersey, he did a massive turn and there were only four of us left on his wheel. That's how strong he is."

Nibali refused the suggestion that his an eventual win will be less presitigious due to the absence of Chris Froome and Alberto Contador.

"I'm not happy about what happened to Alberto and to Chris. Starting the first climbs with them both in the race would have been better and more spectacular for everyone.

"The level was very high here and I felt good yesterday; we rode to win and I'm genuinely sorry for Alberto and Froome, they both sacrificed time to be at their best for the Tour. But there are other rivals here and its not only about the last two big winners, there are lots of important riders.

"This is the Tour de France and crashes are part of the game. I was behind Alberto on the descent. He'd overtaken me. I don’t know what happened, maybe he hit a hole or a stone but he went down hard and I tried to avoid him. I kept two metres between him and me and so avoided the worst.

"To be honest the stress of the race has been the hardest thing. On the stage with the pavé it was hugely stressful to stay at the front and avoid the crashes. Fortunately I had good support from the team. Even having yellow eased the stressed because we raced at the front."