Vice-champion of the world of the specialty, already winner of the last team time trial included in the 2015 Tour, the American Bmc triumphed on the 35,5 km of the Cholet circuit, a perfect train in the changes flying at over 54 km per hour which sent yellow Greg Van Avermaet and allowed his captain Richie Porte to recover, even with interest, the 51 seconds lost due to the crash in the first stage.
More or less the same recovery operation was implemented by Chris Froome thanks to the second place obtained by Team Sky just 4” behind the Bmc. Third, at 7”, Quick Step Floor, who after losing Gaviria on the road, hoped until the end to get a hold of the yellow jersey with Philippe Gilbert, a goal missed by just 5”.
He did not repeat the success obtained in the world race, but Tom Dumoulin, fifth on the Sunweb 11" behind the Bmc, is today the best placed among the men in the standings being seventh 11" behind Van Avermaet but above all still maintaining an advantage 40" on Porte and 44" on Froome. Dumoulin was among the big names who came out unscathed from accidents and falls in the chaotic final of the first stage.
The Dutchman was also the only one of the big names to defend almost all of the treasure accumulated in Fontenay-le-Compte. Vincenzo Nibali didn't make it, who, as feared at Bahrain-Merida, gave more than a minute to Froome and Porte, slipping to 22nd place in the standings 1'06” behind the yellow jersey and 11” behind Froome.
The Movistar of the Valverde-Landa-Quintana trio did not worse than the Shark team, managing to contain the gap from the leaders in less than a minute. But if Valverde and Landa avoided being overtaken by Froome in the standings, Quintana saw his gap widen to more than two minutes from the yellow jersey and 1'13” from Froome.
Immediately offside in the defense of the yellow jersey was Peter Sagan who, at the foot of the last hill of the course, preferred to detach himself from the Bora-Hansgrohe train led by Rafa Majka, the man on whom the German team is aiming for the standings. Like Kittel and Gaviria, Sagan too, who is aiming for the sixth green jersey, has preferred not to spend excess energy defending the yellow jersey. It certainly wasn't a good picture to see a champion like the Slovak trudge along alone, arriving more than two minutes after his teammates.
