One day after losing more than a minute due to a crash, Tejay van Garderen bounced back with a great performance in today's first mountain stage of the Tour de France. The American is just trying to brush off the disappointment and claims to be feeling OK after his tumble.

BMC Racing Team's Tejay van Garderen climbed from 18th to 13th in the overall standings Saturday on the strength of an eighth-place finish on the Tour de France's first day in the mountains. Van Garderen arrived in pouring rain 2:40 after solo stage winner Blel Kadri (Ag2r La Mondiale) and 20 seconds after race leader Vincenzo Nibali (Astana Pro Team), who was third behind Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo).

Van Garderen said he felt "OK" in the 161-kilometer stage one day after losing more than a minute in a crash.

"I am doing my best to brush it off and keep looking forward," van Garderen said. "I think today I did a good job. But we have another couple of hard days before the rest day."

Van Garderen is 3:34 off the overall lead while Nibali enjoys a 1:44 advantage over his teammate, Jakob Fuglsang, in second place, and 1:58 over third-placed Richie Porte (Team Sky).

BMC Racing Team Sport Director Yvon Ledanois said he was pleased to see van Garderen make a strong showing in a stage that included three climbs in the final 20 km.

"I am happy for Tejay," Ledanois said. "It was very important after a bad day yesterday with his crash for him to be with the race leader. It showed he is recovering. It is good for his morale and for the team it is very important."

BMC Racing Team's Darwin Atapuma, who broke his left femur in the crash that involved van Garderen, underwent successful surgery Saturday morning, BMC Racing Team Chief Medical Officer Dr. Max Testa said.

"The surgery went well and now he is in recovery," Dr. Testa said. "The plan is to stay at the hospital for one or two days and then we will organize an ambulance transfer to his place in Italy where he will start physical therapy in the next two or three days."

Testa said the second phase of Atapuma's recovery is yet to be determined. He could remain in Italy or travel to the United States, where team staff can oversee his rehabilitation, Dr. Testa said.