After a quick opening phase, a group of 33 riders escaped, including Amund Jansen and Mike Teunissen of Team Jumbo-Visma. The remaining escapee Nairo Quintana took the stage win. On the Col du Galibier, Kruijswijk was able to follow the pace of his competitors, but this group let Egan Bernal go. The Colombian finished more than half a minute ahead of the group with Kruijswijk. As a result, the 32-year-old Dutchman dropped one place in the GC.

“I got through the day well”, Kruijswijk said. “In the descent of the Galibier it was all hands on deck for a while. When Alaphilippe returned, it was important to limit the damage to Bernal. I also did not want to take too many risks. The fact that it started to rain in the end, was not ideal. It was a grueling day with those three long climbs. Nobody dared to go early, because they were afraid to pay the price. Although I didn’t feel great, I survived the stage.”

George Bennett crashed twice and was medically checked. No major injuries were found.