Nicolas Roche is one of Chris Froome’s key helpers in the transition stages and the Irishman explained according to Velonews that nothing is won until the peloton hits Paris. Indeed, the riders will enjoy their final rest day as there will be no room for recovery in the final five stages of which four are held in the Alpine heartland, with three summit finishes.

"The Tour is won in Paris, only when you cross the line on the Champs-Élysées," Roche told. "We have to stay focused. We cannot say we’ve won this Tour, it wouldn’t be right. For us, the main stress was getting through those first 10 days, through that team time trial. We protected Chris, and we even gained time,” Roche said. “We have faith in Chris. We knew that he would be up to the level on those Pyrenean climbs."

"There’s still a lot of racing to come," Froome said. "I’m pleased with where my legs are at the moment, and I’m looking forward to a flat stage today. The Tour is 21 days, and anything can happen in any one of those days, otherwise the race would be two weeks long,” Roche said. “Because we knew Chris would be climbing so well, the team has been able to ride differently. We can let breakaways go away, we don’t have to chase down everything."