In the longest stage of the race, relatively little happened. A leading group, that attacked from the start, was caught in the last five kilometres. Team Jumbo-Visma rode attentively all day long and kept leader Roglic out of trouble.

Sports director Addy Engels thought it was a nervous stage. “It was a very long day. The stage was controlled by the sprint teams from the start, but the peloton became very nervous. Earlier than expected. There was no reason for it at that time. The team handled it well and kept both Roglic and De Plus in the front. The stage evolved as expected. It was a matter of being alert, of keeping eating and drinking, as well as saving as much energy as possible. Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow will be important for the GC. It is important to be in the finals with as many people as possible to support Primoz. If we can achieve that, we’ll decide what to do next.”