Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff) was the big loser in today's time trial at the Criterium du Dauphiné as the Spaniard finished a very disappointing 61st, losing no less than 2.45 to his main Tour rival Chris Froome (Sky). His team writes the performance down to a severe off-day and hopes to see the Spaniard back to his best in tomorrow's first summit finish.

Alberto Contador has not really found back to his former strength in the time trials after he returned from suspension at the end of last year and at the worlds he even had the embarrassing experience of being passed by Tony Martin on his way to a modest 38th place. Today's Criterium du Dauphiné time trial offered him a key opportunity to show the world that he has overcome his troubles and ready to challenge Chris Froome at the Tour.

However, the outcome was the exact opposite as the Spaniard struggled through the entire stage, finishing 61st 3.37 behind stage winner Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) and 2.45 behind Froome. On a day where he was expected to gain time on some of his key rivals for the GC in the race, he ended up as the big loser and is now only 34th, 2.50 behind new leader Rohan Dennis (Garmin-Sharp).

There is no doubt that Contador had hoped for more in today's stage and it was difficult for sports director Philippe Mauduit to hide his disappointment. The Frenchman hopes that the result is only a consequence of an untimely off-day and that his star rider will be back to his best tomorrow.

“I think it was obvious for everyone that Alberto was not at his normal high level today," he said. "He had a feeling of lack of energy and it seems like he had an off-day at a very unfortunate time and that is significantly crucial on a time trial like this. Now it looks more than difficult in terms of targeting a top overall result but we'll continue our preparations for the Tour. Naturally, we hope that Alberto will back at his best tomorrow when it goes down again among the favourites on the uphill finish."

Despite his limited GC opportunities, tomorrow's stage is another important one for Contador as it finishes at the top of an HC climb. Hence, it is another crucial test of his Tour form, and the Spaniard hopes to see some encouraging signs after today's disappointment.

Contador has not struggled as much in the mountains as he has in the time trials but nothing can hide the fact that he has also not been his usual superior self on the climbs this season. Earlier in his career, he simple rode away from his rivals but this year he has often has found it difficult to keep up with the best. It will be interesting to see whether we will see a similar scenario tomorrow, just one day after today's hugely disappointing time trial performance.

Saxo-Tinkoff still has a good chance to finish in the top 10 at the Dauphiné as Michael Rogers finished a solid 14th today and is now 11th overall.

Starting at 12.45, you can follow tomorrow's drama on CyclingQuotes.com/live.