Primoz Roglic extended his lead in the Tour de France on Friday as Daniel Martinez scored a first stage win for US team Education First by triumphing in a titanic mountain battle. 

Slovenian Roglic now enjoys a 44 second lead over his compatriot 21-year-old Tadej Pogacar, who climbed to second, while defending champion Egan Bernal dropped to third, 59 second off the yellow jersey. 

"It was a Slovenian day, there's two of us ahead of a few Colombians," Roglic said. 

"There are great professionals in Slovenia in all kinds of sports, it's a tough nation and we are all pushing each other.” 

"The Tour is not finished yet, there is still a lot of things that can happen, a lot of riders are still in the mix," Roglic added. 

The director of Bernal's Ineos team, Benjamin Rasch, said the 23-year-old was improving each day from a bad back and that Friday's stage did not suit his leader. 

"We will do better on the really tough stages," Rasch said. 

"Of course he wants to win the tour," Rasch said "He's a good leader and a good lad." 

The holder of the green jersey, Irishman Sam Bennett, and the vastly experienced Peter Sagan will likely renew their struggle for sprint points on Saturday's 194-kilometer run over five small hills between Clermont-Ferrand and Lyon. 

Meanwhile,  organizers say that no spectators will be allowed at any of the finishes of the Tour de France's stages as the race heads through regions labelled as coronavirus "red zones."

The measure is intended to prevent mass gatherings as fears grow in France of a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

(With input from agencies)