By doing an excellent time trial, Jean-Christophe Peraud did what he would have deemed to be impossible just a few weeks ago when he secured second overall in the Tour de France. The Frenchman started to believe in the result when Chris Froome and Alberto Contador crashed out of the race.

Second overall, Jean-Christophe Perayd was over the moon on the finish line.

“It's an enormous satisfaction," he said. "The withdrawals of Froome and Contador opened a range of possibilities and I started dreaming about this second place. I'm happy to have achieved that goal. I have a feeling of mission accomplished and a lot of joy today.”