Geraint Thomas, Adam Yates, and their teammates from Ineos Grenadiers warmed up on the rollers after Jumbo Visma's attack on the Côtes du Cap Blanc Nez near Calais, a fierce battleground in the Tour de France, near He was preparing to return to his hotel.

No one could keep up with Wout Van Aert, who dropped teammates Jonas Vingegaard and Primoš Roglic, while Yates was with a young Dane and Thomas with a Slovenian.

Others fell further behind, with Tadei Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates) momentarily in a dangerous position as the players scrambled to close the gap.

Thomas and Yates watched as Jumbo-Visma attacked and the Tour de France GC battle suddenly exploded in front and behind them.

"I thought it was going to be Paris-Nice 2.0, but I didn't think it would be," Thomas told ITV television and Cycling News.

"The rider in front of Roglic fell off and Roglic showed no signs of closing. I stuck with him and looked back and it was just Logrich, me and Dani Martinez. I saw Vingegaard sitting on top of Yates, who was chasing Van Aert. We were competing against each other on the same team."

"I tried to get close to them so we could all run together, but then other guys like Vlasov and Pogachar came by, so I relaxed there. Once the sprinters came back, I let them take over and we ran to the finish."

Thomas was clearly pleased with his ability to handle Jumbo-Visma's attack, but warned that attacks early in the Tour are like swallows in early summer, and that one attack does not make you a Tour winner.

"A lot of it today was a matter of positioning, and I don't think I could have gone without decent legs.

"You can't win the Tour with that kind of effort. But at least we are doing well."

Yates was similarly upbeat about his condition and the race.

"Jumbo Visma did the same thing in Paris-Nice, and I suspected he would do it again.

"My legs almost gave out as I crossed the summit, but there was nothing more I could do as there was only one other rider better than me. I was about 100 meters from the top when the blow came.

"Then I looked at the summit and there was only Jonas Vingegaard behind me. I asked him if he wanted to go through and he said no." He wasn't going to make the turn with his teammates. They won the stage. I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

Yates has publicly stated that he is not a fan of racing on the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix.

"No, I'm not looking forward to it," he replied bluntly, explaining the safety measures he and Ineos Grenadier have taken throughout this Tour.

"If they go in the ditch, I go in the ditch with them. So I just hope they know where they're going, and I'll do my best to keep up."

Thomas is a former classic rider who seems to want to race hard on the cobblestones.

"I wish I could race aggressive, but the main thing is to stay out of trouble and stay in the race. It's like a crosswind day, which is always good if you're in front, but if you're behind."

"It's different from Paris-Roubaix because the riders are not used to the cobblestones and they are going for the GC. There is a lot of stress and jostling for position going into the cobbles.

"It could be a decisive stage. I have a great team, including Luke Rowe and Dylan Van Baar. We are ready."