Nairo Quintana (Movistar) would have been pretty happy with himself following his time trial effort on the opening day of the Tour de France. The Colombian lost just one second to Richie Porte and took time on Romain Bardet and Alberto Contador.
Of the major general classification riders, only Chris Froome (Team Sky) was able to put a significant amount of time into Quintana, gaining 30 seconds overall.
His mood Saturday was dampened though, not by the rain but by the news that he had lost perhaps his most crucial lieutenant to a crash. Alejandro Valverde hit the deck as he navigated a sharp left turn, crashing heavily into the roadside barriers.
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Valverde has finished in the top 10 in the last four editions of the Tour de France and has 21 Grand Tours worth of experience, and losing him will be a major blow for the Spanish outfit.
"I feel it a lot. It is really sad for the team and it is really disappointing to lose him from this competition knowing that he was one of our best riders," Quintana told a group of reporters as he sat on the steps of his Movistar bus.
"It will be very difficult [without Valverde], he is one of the most important riders for us and strategically it is a disappointment not to have him. I hope that he can recover quickly and there are no complications."
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