After using each other well on the queen stage of the Volta a Catalunya before going on to finish fourth and fifth on GC, Richie Porte and Tejay van Garderen are said to be working really well together.

“We’re very like-minded in how we like to ride in the bunch, the kind of riders we are, so it’s not really about sculpting, it’s more about polishing,” van Garderen told Cyclingnews before stage 7 in Catalunya.

“This was our first race together, there are two more races together before the Tour, Romandie and Dauphine so we’ll get everything down-pat and ready to go by the time July comes round.”

Van Garderen only has Romandie and the Dauphine left before the Tour de France, with only Liege-Bastogne-Liege as a possible race to be added into his schedule. He has exactly 20 days of racing in his legs so far.

“I go to altitude, then do the Tour of Romandie, I might slot in Liege, we’re discussing that, so for now it’s Romandie-Dauphine-Tour.”