Everyone in the Tour de France peloton is at risk of losing time from bad positioning, crashing or having a mechanical problem in the nervous and frenetic first week.

What has been made clear to all of us on Team Sky is that British 2013 champion Chris Froome is the one rider in this race who all our teammates will ride to protect.

For me, the plan is still to try and not lose time in the early stages as the Tour races through the Netherlands, Belgium and northern France on the lead-up to the stage nine team time trial.

That stage should set the scene for how the overall contenders such as Chris will unleash what they have left in the Pyrenees and Alps.

However, with so much on the line for Chris, the message has been made clear to me and Geraint Thomas, whose second place overall at the recent Tour de Suisse showed he is in terrific form, that we can't expect much salvation if misfortune comes our way.

It's been made black and white that if I or 'G' are not in position and find ourselves caught out in the days ahead, the others are not going to wait for us, as may have happened in years passed.

If I lose time for any reason, the team will not be not terribly stressed. All the eggs are in the Chris Froome basket this year.

But that's okay. My job is to help Chris win by being there for him in the mountains later in the Tour.

I have got to say though … It is nice to finally get this Tour started.

Since arriving in in Utrecht on Tuesday, sitting in a hotel in between rides has been as close to being in a pressure pot as I can imagine – especially with all the heat and humidity.

That only adds to the nervousness and excitement for the first week of the Tour.

Much has been said of Sunday's 166km second stage from Utrecht south to Zelande.

Talk has been of heat, and a fear of cross winds. But the real worry is road furniture.

You only need to look at the stage profile for Sunday and the run-in to the finish.

There is roundabout after roundabout, and with 200 of the best riders wanting to be at the front of the peloton on roads often narrow, it's a recipe for disaster.

Not everyone will be able to get through the roundabouts near the front. But to try and do that, riders will be willing to takes some massive risks to try.

At the start of the Tour when bodies and minds are fresh, everybody thinks they are Mark Cavendish, and just as suddenly you will see them sprinting for a top-30 finish.

That's assuming you make it to the finish. Last year's Tour start in Yorkshire saw astronomical crowds, but it was also evident how dangerous errant fans can inadvertently be.

We saw the selfie-sticks come out and people trying to take pictures of themselves as we approached.

Their enthusiasm was great, but what many did not realise was how fast the peloton was coming up on them. In the end, the UK start was quite dangerous.

Still, it's true ... one of the beauties of the Tour is that people can get so close they can touch us.

Everything on the Tour is on the edge … that's the Tour for you.

But hopefully things can stay on the safe side of that edge.

* Australian Team Sky rider Richie Porte is racing his fifth Tour de France