La Toussuire: Before the penultimate mountain stage of the Tour de France sped off on Friday, trepidation and fear spread among those riders not blessed with the climbing prowess that would be needed for the menu of ascents to come.

Their biggest concern about the 19th stage from Saint Jean de Maurienne to La Toussuire was missing the time limit and being eliminated from the Tour. The 138km route featured four major Alpine mountains, including a final 18km ascent to the finish.

It would be a harrowing outcome with the Tour's finish in Paris on Sunday so close.

At the start, many riders were in their team buses, nervously calculating the time limit and studying race laws that allow groups of a certain number that do miss the limit to be reinstated.

Others were outside riding on stationary bikes, the sweat already pouring from them as they got their heart rates up and blood flowing in readiness for an anticipated fast start.

The route heads immediately up the 5.4km Col du Chaussy after which comes the 22.4km Col de la Croix Fer to 83km, then the 5.7km Col du Mollard to 102km before the final and fourth climb to the finish line.

Australian Adam Hansen, 34, and who has been carrying a dislocated shoulder since crashing on stage two, suddenly emerges from his Lotto-Soudal team bus.

While not a climber of the sort expected to unleash fury in the stage, Hansen can get over hills quite well on his day.

Asked about the mood in his team of whom a number are suited only for the flat – including their German sprinter and triple-stage winner Andre Greipel – Hansen says:  "Some of the guys are really freaking out. They think they won't do it.

"They are working out time limits and arguing about time limits and working out how much time they might lose on each climb.

"We didn't really have a meeting today about tactics to win the stage [as is usual]. It was more just about just to make time limit."

"It's very hard for them. By the amount they are complaining I think it's very hard."

Eventually, those worst fears were averted; as no no-one finished out of the time limit at 34m 11s after the stage winner, Italian Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), the defending Tour champion who won by 44s from second placed Colombian Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and 1m 14s from overall leader, Briton Chris Frome (Sky) who was third.

The stage still impacted the overall placings. Froome lost overall time to Quintana who is still second overall but now at 2m 38s.

Spaniard Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) is third but out from 4m 9s to 5m 25s after he placed sixth on the stage at 2m 26s.

Froome's teammate, Briton Geraint Thomas also had a poor day, falling from fourth overall to 15th at 27m 24s.

Still, the non-climbers aren't free of their fears just yet, as the prospect of missing the time limit will return to them on Saturday for the 110.5km 20th stage from Modane Valfrejus to l'Alpe d'Huez.

For Hansen, his sufferance in the Tour has been a constant since he was involved in a mass pile-up of riders with 55km to go in the second stage from Utrecht to Zelande in the Netherlands.

There was a time when Hansen thought that he might not finish the Tour and continue his record unbeaten run of 12 grand tour finishes that began at the 2011 Vuelta a Espana.

With Sunday's imminent finish on Sunday, his mood was upbeat – especially now that he has re-signed with the Belgian Lotto-Soudal team for another two years.

Hansen said his shoulder: "Is getting better, but I am using other muscles now because I am being more active with it. I can definitely feel the difference.

"I have a bit of pain here (he points to his upper left thigh). I can't pull up because I am pushing more. I am limping where I am standing. I have a (ligament) tightening up in back.

"The physio says I just have to get to Paris, my body is giving up."

But no sooner will Hansen recover, and he will be back at a grand tour start - this time for the Vuelta in August.