“I really needed to focus coming to this race to suffer and to fight. It is Romandie so it is important I can come here and race well, so I am very happy that I could take the win today.
“I wasn’t so confident for today’s stage but I told myself if I can be there at the end in Liege-Bastogne-Liege after 4,000metres of climbing then why can’t I be able to be here over the climbs today.
“I tried to fight and stay in the bunch and it worked out to be even better than I thought so I am really happy with that.”
British rider Simon Yates leads the KOM competition and Orica Scott's sports director Neil Stephens said: “Yates was on the front over the top of the climb making sure everything stayed together for Alba and he therefore took top mountains points.
“That was extra bonus for us to have him on the podium as well.”
Chris Froome finished fifth and he was happy to have finished in the pouring rain and said: “It was more about being in the front end of things today and coming into the last couple of kilometres I felt I had a bit more to give.
Source: DSG