Chris Froome had previously described the challenging opening week of this year’s Tour de France as “a series of Classics” to be negotiated before what he considers the race proper begins upon entering the Pyrenees. He is understandably pleased after emerging from the first eight stages injury-free, looking superior to his main rivals and with the yellow jersey on his shoulders after a series of attritional stages in which the garment has at times seemed cursed.

Fabian Cancellara and Tony Martin have already been forced to withdraw with broken bones sustained in heavy falls while wearing the maillot jaune. Indeed, it is a testament to their courage that both men – Cancellara with broken vertebrae and Martin with a shattered collarbone – seemed content or foolhardy enough to soldier on regardless of the injuries that eventually forced them out of the race and into hospital beds.

Crosswinds, cobbles and one spectacular crash that resulted in several riders being catapulted into a roadside lamppost at over 40 kilometres an hour have all contributed to make the opening to this Tour punishing and the original field of 198 riders is already 13 down with as many stages to go. Twelve have succumbed to injury, while the Katusha rider Luca Paolini was withdrawn on Friday night after testing positive for cocaine.

With its shark’s teeth profile featuring a relentless series of small jagged climbs, a fairly uneventful stage eight took the bunch through the chateau-speckled landscape of Brittany from Rennes to Mûr-de-Bretagne, where a sharp right-hand turn into the 2km kick towards the finish line precluded the field from hitting it with any kind of momentum.

With 15km to go, a three-man breakaway had a dwindling 33sec gap, with Lars Bak and Michal Golas dropping Bartosz Huzarski before inevitably being reeled in themselves.

Around the right-hander they went, onwards and upwards into the home straight with the tireless Geraint Thomas towing them along and Froome placed handily.

Just inside the flamme rouge marking 1km to go, Froome attacked only to see the hideous brown shorts of Ag2r-La Mondiale’s Alexis Vuillermoz streak off into the distance as a vulnerable looking Vincenzo Nibali was simultaneously shelled out the back of the leading group. It was Vuillermoz who won the stage before collapsing exhausted against a barrier. The Frenchman, claiming the first home victory of this Tour, finished five seconds clear of Dan Martin, who pounded his handlebars in frustration.

Finishing in the same group as Alberto Contador, Nairo Quintana and Tejay van Garderen, with Nibali a further 10sec back, Froome maintains his 11sec lead over Peter Sagan, who leads both the points and best young rider classifications.

The Slovak also ended a depressing sequence of consecutive second and third-placed finishes by being fourth across the line.

“That was a tough climb,” said Froome. “I think the main thing was just not to lose any time on any other contenders. “I was quite surprised to hear that I even gained a little bit of time on Vincenzo Nibali and hopefully we’ve kept a little something in reserve for tomorrow. Hopefully we’re going to be up there with the best.”

Froome was referring to the team time trial with its uphill finish in Plumelec, where he will do well to maintain his lead. Similar to its corresponding stage in the Critérium du Dauphiné, the route does not hold fond memories for Sky. A month ago, they were significantly beaten into sixth place in a stage won by BMC and a similar result would almost certainly put the Swiss team’s leader, Van Garderen, ahead of Froome on general classification.

The American has been cycling below the radar with a minimum of fuss, but has yet to put a foot wrong and currently looks a more legitimate GC contender than Nibali or Quintana.

“It’s a very important stage,” said Froome. “I can see 20 or 30 seconds being won or lost between some of the teams that go well and some that don’t. We’re all going to give it absolutely everything we have as a team given that it does carry so much weight.

“You need big engines who can do the work and you need climbers to get you up there to the finish, but I think we’ve got that mix within our team.”

One team Sky will not concern themselves with unduly is Orica GreenEdge, who were among the pre-race favourites to triumph in stage nine.

Having already lost three riders to injury and with another competing with broken ribs, they are to all intents and purposes already down to the bare minimum of five riders required to record a time-trial time and have already promised to treat a stage they originally hoped to win as “a rest day before the rest day”.

Should Sky lose time on Sunday they will be fairly unperturbed after a week that could not have gone much better for them if it had been scripted by Sir David Brailsford himself.

With Froome in yellow, his eight team-mates looking hale and hearty and Thomas riding out of his black skinsuit, the British team are splendidly placed to test the mettle of their rivals after Monday’s rest day.

The Pyrenees and Alps await and on what few significant climbs the peloton has tackled thus far, Froome has looked to have the beating of his rivals.