"We hope it was my bad day" - Quintana looks to recover after rough day on Alpe d'Huez

Nairo Quintana is so far riding a relatively inconsistent however strong Tour de France. He leaves the Alps in sixth place, however a performance that sees the leader of Arkéa Samsic in a favourable position.

“I have fought until the end. They have taken me out. The feeling is good, but they have a point, a pace more than me," Quintana said after the finish. Unlike yesterday, there was only one decisive effort on the 12th stage of the Tour, with Quintana loosing valuable terrain on a climb where he has in the past thrived.

Quintana didn't crack up the climb, but lost over a minute to Pogacar, Vingegaard and Thomas as he struggled with the pace of Jumbo-Visma halfway up the climb. “I think we came out of the Alps well, we continue to work well. One day one falls, another day another falls. We hope it was my bad day," he added.

He hopes "to withstand the heat well and that it will be a good third week for us," now leaving the high mountains and heading to the Pyrenees - which shouldn't suit him as well as the high-altitude and long ascents of the Alps.

Quintana is now sixth in the overall classification, 3:58 minutes away from Jonas Vingegaard, and 1:32 minutes away from Geraint Thomas who sits third and in range of the Colombian climber.