After teammate Michael Matthews' second place finish yesterday, Durbridge ended up in the early break today that properly established after a series of unsuccessful moves in another fast start for the peloton.
Durbridge was part of a group of 10 riders that bridged across to solo attacker Simon Geschke (Cofidis) after 50 kilometres of racing, including Mads Pedersen and Giulio Ciccone (both Trek-Segafredo), Kasper Asgreen (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl), Imanol Erviti (Movistar), Vegard Stade Laengen (UAE Team Emirates), Cyril Barthe (B&B Hotels), Lennard Kämna and Maximilian Schachmann (both Bora-Hansgrohe) and Dylan Teuns (Bahrain-Victorious).
The big Western Australian said it wasn't exactly the strategy for him to end up in the break, but that he just happened to end up there trying to work to bring back attacks from the front of the peloton.
"The plan was to get Nick Schultz or Michael Matthews in the break," Durbridge told SBS after the stage. "But in the end, it was so fast from the start again.
"We [the big guys] were just covering moves trying to make sure it kept going, and I just slipped out and got in the move, and from there it was up to the climbers to drop me."
After 70 kilometres, the group were two and a half minutes ahead of the peloton, until UAE Team Emirates took to the front for maillot jaune Tadej Pogacar and kept the lead at around two minutes for the rest of the stage.
Kamna then attacked with Schachmann in his wheel to split the group with 73 kilometres to the finish, Durbridge the only one to follow the BORA duo before Geschke and Teuns rejoined before the summit of the Col de Grosse Pierre.
Barthe and Erviti rejoined at the base of the Col des Croix to bring the break to seven strong as they hit the La Super Planche Des Belles Filles with a minute and 43 second lead on the trailing peloton.
Durbridge managed to hang on up the monster climb until Kamna and Teuns kicked inside the last 7 kilometres, showing their more natural climbing abilities. Kamna went on to come agonisingly close to winning the stage solo, caught by Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), the former taking his second straight stage win.
"I think I played my cards pretty well," an upbeat Durbridge said of his efforts on the day.
"I covered some moves when the BORA guys went. When we got to the bottom I kind of knew we only had under 2 minutes and thought that probably wouldn't be enough time.
"But I just decided to give it everything just to get caught in the last 4 kilometres and gave it a crack.
"Tour de France stage, amazing day, it's such an epic finish. I can be happy with how my legs are and we'll go again tomorrow, I enjoyed my day out, it was special."
The Tour de France continues with Stage 8, a 186 kilometre route from Dole to Lausanne, Switzerland. Watch the Tour de France on SBS and the SBS On Demand from 9.30pm and from the earlier time of 8.55pm AEST on the SBS SKODA Tour Tracker.
