Seen as the best-placed of the Tour favourites after Saturday's time trial in Utrecht, Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) was among the leaders trapped at the back after a split created by Mark Cavendish's Etixx Quick Step, Chris Froome's Team Sky and Alberto Contador's Tinkoff-Saxo.

"It was a really close call," he said. "The storm happened at the worst possible time as we were leaving Rotterdam. There was a roundabout and we didn't take it on the right side. After, it was hard to know where you stood with the rain, the wind. There were riders all over the place.

"I didn't really blow my advantage from yesterday. It was nothing, just 20 seconds. Tomorrow, we will need to be careful again and stay well positioned. It will be essential. We worked well with the other teams to try and close the gap but we couldn't. That's the way it is. It's a long race with surprises everyday. What took place today was one of those surprises."